Medical therapy of glaucoma.

Prescribing medical treatment for glaucoma requires a complex decision-making process that involves the patient, the severity of the disease, the therapeutic options available, and their potential side effects. Lowering intraocular pressure, a known risk factor for progression, has been the mainstay of glaucoma treatment. Most patients who are first diagnosed with glaucoma in the United States are started on topical medications. As our understanding of the disease changes and newer treatments become available, glaucoma therapies may need to be reassessed and changed if necessary.