Glaucoma and macular degeneration are eye diseases that can cause loss of vision. While glaucoma results from damage to the optic nerve carrying visual information to the brain, macular degeneration affects the center of the retina. People with macular degeneration suffer from loss of vision in the middle of their visual field. People with glaucoma lose peripheral vision, and left untreated, they can progress to blindness. The different underlying causes of glaucoma and macular degeneration necessitate different treatments for the two conditions.
Goal
Macular degeneration and glaucoma cause permanent, irreversible damage to vision. There is no cure for either condition and no way to restore lost vision. The goal of treatment for both conditions is to slow the course of the disease and preserve remaining vision.
Time Frame
Macular degeneration and glaucoma are progressive diseases. Treatment can only slow their advance. Some treatments, like eyedrops for glaucoma or dietary supplements for macular degeneration, require a daily dose of medication for the rest of the patient's life. Other more invasive treatments like surgery or photodynamic treatment can require repeated procedures.
Dietary Supplements
A study sponsored by the National Eye Institute showed that a dietary supplement called the age-related eye disease study, or AREDS, formulation, rich in anti-oxidants and the mineral zinc, helped people with intermediate stage macular degeneration to slow the progression of their disease. Although people who eat plenty of leafy green vegetables have a lower risk of developing macular degeneration, the National Eye Institute says diet alone cannot provide the necessary levels of these compounds to prevent progression of the condition once it has begun. AREDS does not help glaucoma.
Medicated Eyedrops or Injections
Most patients with glaucoma need to use medicated eyedrops to control pressure within the eye, says the Mayo Clinic. Usually eyedrops must be administered several times a day. Eyedrops cannot treat macular degeneration. However, for patients with the advanced or "wet" form of macular degeneration, repeated injections of a compound called anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, or anti-VEGF, directly into the eye can block the growth of unhealthy new blood vessels in the eye, slowing the course of the disease, according to the National Eye Institute.
Photodynamic Therapy
Patients who have a "wet" form of macular degeneration can benefit from photodynamic therapy to destroy new blood vessels in the eye. According to the National Eye Institute, results are temporary; patients might need to have the procedure again.
Surgery
The Mayo Clinic describes surgical treatments for glaucoma including a laser surgery called trabeculoplasty or conventional procedures including trabeculectomy or insertion of drainage implants to lower pressure inside the eye and reduce the risk of further damage to the optic nerve. The National Eye Institute describes the laser surgery for wet macular degeneration, in which surgeons aim to destroy leaky blood vessels in the eye.
Alternative Medicine
According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no evidence that alternative treatments touted to treat macular degeneration--such as bilberry, ginkgo and shark cartilage---have any positive effect. Bilberry does not slow glaucoma, either. The Mayo Clinic warns that these preparations can have dangerous interactions with other conventional medications.
