Get Glaucoma Treatment Online to Lower Eye Pressure

Glaucoma is controlled by lowering the pressure inside the eye, and prescription eye drops are the standard way to do it. These are the classes a board-certified doctor can prescribe or refill for you.

• Prostaglandin analogs, such as Latanoprost (Xalatan), travoprost (Travatan Z), and bimatoprost (Lumigan), which open up the eye’s own drainage route and are preferred as the first drop, are used once a day.
• Beta blockers, such as timolol (Timoptic) and Betaxolol (Betoptic), cut how much fluid the eye makes. Betaxolol is the selective option, normally chosen when asthma or COPD rules timolol out.

What we cannot do is make the diagnosis. Tonometry, gonioscopy, and visual field testing all need equipment in a clinic, so a first diagnosis of glaucoma has to come from an eye exam in person. Once you have that diagnosis and a prescription, the refills and the day-to-day questions can be handled here, and you can get a prescription online sent straight to your pharmacy.

Glaucoma can happen when fluid does not drain properly from the eye, when the optic nerve is sensitive to normal eye pressure, or when another health condition or medication damages the nerve. Common causes and risk factors include:

• Poor drainage of fluid from the eye, which can cause pressure to build up and damage the optic nerve over time
• The iris blocking the eye’s drainage area, which can cause pressure to rise suddenly
• Damage to the optic nerve even when eye pressure is within the normal range
• Eye injuries, inflammation, diabetes, and other health conditions that can damage the optic nerve
• Long-term use of steroid medicines, including some eye drops, inhalers, and creams
• An eye drainage system that did not develop properly before birth
• Pigment from the iris building up and blocking the eye’s drainage system

Your risk is also higher if glaucoma runs in your family or as you get older.

Go to an emergency room or an urgent eye clinic if you have:

• Sudden severe pain in one eye, with the eye red and hard
• Nausea or vomiting alongside the eye pain
• Rainbow halos around lights with blurred or steamy vision
• A sudden loss of vision in one eye

Those are the signs of a sudden pressure rise. 

Book an in-person eye exam if:

• You have never been tested and you are over 60, or Black and over 40, or have a parent or grandparent with glaucoma. Higher-risk adults need a dilated eye exam every one to two years.
• You take glaucoma drops but have not had your pressure checked in the last year.
• Your side vision feels narrower than it was, or you are catching door frames and curbs.
• Your drops are not holding the pressure down and laser treatment or surgery has been raised. Both are done in person.

Talk to a doctor online if:

• You are running low on a drop you already take.
• A drop stings, reddens the eye, or changes the color of your eye or eyelid, and you want an alternative.
• You want your other medicines checked against your glaucoma.
• You are not sure how to space two different drops apart.