Inconsistent use of drops will vary the intraocular pressure (IOP) and has been scientifically proven to be detrimental to your glaucoma. Therefore, when you miss a morning dose of your medicine, take it later in the day when you remember.
If you take a once-daily drop, the medication works for approximately 24 hours. If you don't take your medications, the pressure is not lowered. Therefore, in this period of time, your glaucoma could continue to slowly progress.
If you forget to take a dose of your eye drops, it is best to instill the drop as soon as you remember it. If the next dose is due shortly, wait for the usual time to use it.
The eye drops must be taken on daily basis. Just like any other medication, it is important to take your eye drops regularly as prescribed by your ophthalmologist. You should also never change or stop taking your medications without consulting your ophthalmologist.
Tariq Ayoub recommends taking prostaglandin glaucoma eye drops at night because they can give you red, sore eyes and a gritty feeling, which will not affect you while you sleep.
“Pressure is highest typically in the morning, when you're just waking up, and lowest in the afternoon,” says Johnson. “So if you have a 4:00 pm. appointment at the doctor's office, that particular pressure may be the lowest pressure you'll have that day.”
Sleeping with your head elevated may reduce your eye pressure at night and decrease your risk of glaucoma-related vision problems. Baseline eye pressure was measured prior to sleep, then at two-hour intervals during a sleep period lasting six hours.
It may seem strange, but nearly 50% of people diagnosed with glaucoma stop taking their medications within six months!
After the drop goes in, keep your eye closed for about thirty seconds to help it absorb properly. If you blink excessively, the drop will not get absorbed. If you place your index finger along the inner corner of your eye after putting the drops in, this closes off the tear duct and keeps the drop in the eye longer.
The closed eyelids and pressure on the tear drainage duct avoids unwanted systemic side effects from the potent eyedrop drugs by preventing the drop from getting inside the nose where it could enter the bloodstream rapidly. After two minutes, the drop is fully absorbed into the eye.
If you forget your evening dose, use it in the morning when you remember. Continue your regular dosing thereafter, even if it seems like you are doubling up within a few hours.
Take Action to Prevent Vision Loss
If you are in a high-risk group, get a comprehensive dilated eye exam to catch glaucoma early and start treatment. Prescription eye drops can stop glaucoma from progressing. Your eye care specialist will recommend how often to return for follow-up exams.
Close and Press
However, in order to help the eye drop penetrate your eye, the easiest thing to do is to keep your eyes closed for 2 minutes after instilling the drop because blinking activates the “pump” that drains your tears away from the eyeball.
Glaucoma is a serious, lifelong eye disease that can lead to vision loss if not controlled. But for most people, glaucoma does not have to lead to blindness. That is because glaucoma is controllable with modern treatment, and there are many choices to help keep glaucoma from further damaging your eyes.
Morning Dosing of Once-daily Glaucoma Medication Is More Convenient and May Lead to Greater Adherence Than Evening Dosing.
But, glaucoma eye drops like Xalatan (prostaglandins) seem to be the best tolerated for most people. This, along with their once-daily dosing, make prostaglandin eye drops a go-to first choice.
Don't Blink
After applying eyedrops, many people believe they should blink a lot to spread the drops around the eye. But this is ineffective. Blinking may cause some of the drop to leak out, hindering optimal absorption.
But overusing the drops can set up a cycle of dependency. Your eyes have to work even harder to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the blood vessels. The more you use the drops, the redder your eyes become. This is sometimes referred to as “rebound redness.” Eventually this can escalate to chronic eye redness.
Answer: Dry eyes are common and are related to the lack of proper tear production on the eye's surface. It is also due to being in a very dry environment (like inside an aircraft cabin). This dryness is on the eye's surface and will not change the eye's internal pressure.
If undetected and untreated, glaucoma first causes peripheral vision loss and eventually can lead to blindness. By the time you notice vision loss from glaucoma, it's too late.
Too much medicine can cause side effects such as blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, or headaches. In addition to using the correct amount, it's essential to use the right number of drops per dose and daily frequency.
Age. The major risk factor of primary open-angle glaucoma is age. As we get older, the drainage system no longer functions as well, and the eye pressure can gradually increase.
Reductions in IOP were found to increase with the duration of walking, jogging and running.
Drinking a bottle of water very quickly does raise eye pressure, so we recommend you drink slowly to avoid this.
People with glaucoma also need to consider where they lay their heads when it's time for sleep. With the knowledge that IOP rises at night or whenever a person is prone, many doctors have advised their patients to sleep in an upright position.