Does glaucoma treatment hurt?

Interview transcription:

We interviewed Dr. Leonard Teye-Botchway to understand whether glaucoma treatment hurts and what measures are taken to prevent discomfort. 

Leonard Teye-Botchway: By and large, glaucoma treatment doesn’t hurt. Most of the treatment involves the use of drops, and the main problem we have is compliance or getting patients to use the drops regularly.

With open-angle glaucoma, because patients are asymptomatic. Many of them don’t feel the need to use drops, but this is where many patients don’t do the right thing, and they end up with more issues with their glaucoma.

It’s critical that once we diagnose you, you use the drops very regularly as prescribed. Some of the drops have side effects. The drops might cause a bit of stinging or redness and sometimes irritation around the eyes. I monitor you regularly to determine if you have any side effects. If you do, there are replacement drops that we can prescribe.

With regards to laser surgery, it’s not painful. We freeze the eye with anaesthetic drops and make sure you’re very comfortable before embarking on the treatment. Some patients might complain about a little bit of stinging or irritation during or after the procedure, which usually resolves with over-the-counter painkillers or special drops.