Medications

Combined medications can offer an alternative for patients who need more than one type of medication. In addition to the convenience of using one eyedrop bottle instead of two, there may also be a financial advantage, depending on your insurance plan. Combigan is a combination of beta blocker and alpha agonist. Cosopt is a combination of beta blocker and carbonic anhydrase inhibitor.

These medications reduce eye pressure by increasing the drainage of intraocular fluid through the trabecular meshwork. Cholinergics can be used alone or combined with other glaucoma medications. A combination of medications can help control how much fluid is produced in the eye and increase the amount of fluid that drains out of the eye.

Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAIs) reduce eye pressure by decreasing the production of intraocular fluid. These are available as eye drops as well as pills. If you need to use more than one type of eyedrop, you may need to take each medicine in a certain order as prescribed by Dr. Pacuraru. If you are using more than one type of eyedrop, wait 5 minutes between eyedrop medicines. The pill form is an alternative for people whose glaucoma is not controlled by medication eye drops.

Beta Blockers work by decreasing production of intraocular fluid. They are available in generic form, and therefore are relatively inexpensive. Systemic side effects can be minimized by closing the eyes following application or using a technique, called punctal occlusion, that prevents the drug from entering the tear drainage duct and systemic circulation.