I had a check up on Monday at hospital and whilst I have not been given a definite Glaucoma diagnosis I am told that I am pre glaucoma and my pressures were now 25 but were 18 in October.
The young Dr i saw said I should now either have SLT or start medication.
I am a worrier at best of times and concerned about both options and wondered if anyone else could give me benefit of their experience? I am new to this site.
My concerns re SLT are -pressure spiking after treatment...I have dry eyes already and wonder if it will make worse. Also once its done you cant undo obviously & can depend on skill of person doing it. Also does it reduce pressure significantly so meds not needed.
With the meds i have concerns re side effects in particular palpiations which i get now sometimes-would taking drops affect any future SLT treatment -i read that you are better starting SLT without first having meds. The meds given in case i wanted to go that route are Monopost.
I need to do something asap but I am concerned and its difficult to speak to a clinition let alone an experienced one.
i would be most grateful to hear experiences from other patients as I do need to make my mind up soon.
i would be most graeful for feedback Thank you so much.
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swanlady123
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hello there, I have thyroid eye disease and all that entails and at my last appointment for that it was noticed my pressures were raised(24 and 26 I think).I was referred to glaucoma clinic as my dad has it.I had all the checks done and at the moment they say I don't have glaucoma, but due to raised pressures and my family history preventative treatment is needed.The treatment he recomended was SLT but there was at least a 2 month wait.I asked could I take anything in the meantime and he prescribed monopost drops.He gave me preservative free ones to minimise side effects.They are in indivudual dose capsule type things.I have dry , red eyes already due to the thyroid eye and I have been using them for about a month.I have not had any worsening of my symptoms, no problems at all.I put my eye ointment for dry eyes in about 15 mins after the monopost.I am due an appointment in 2 months to go back and be checked.Hopefully it's worked.I am thinking at the moment that if it has I will continue with the drops and delay the SLT until such times that the drops are no longer working.This is my experience and I can understand you being worried about it.Hope this helps you in some way.
Hi! It used to be that you were only offered drops after initial glaucoma or ocular hypertension diagnosis but a couple of years ago the NHS NICE guidelines recommended SLT as the first choice option in glaucoma treatment. I had to wait 3 years to be offered SLT and for my choice of drops options to be running out. I have had SLT on both eyes, but still have to take drops 3 times a day to maintain low IOP pressures.
I hate taking drops and find them inconvenient and the fact that often you end up taking more and more drops as eventually your eyes can get used to one type and stop being so effective. I’ve also suffered side effects and allergic reactions to drops. I can now only take preservative free drops and when there were supply issues of my preservativecfree drops 2 year ago it was very worrying.
If I had my time over and was offered it I would take SLT first. It’s a short procedure. Bit uncomfortable at most but not painful. For some it works so well they end up not needing any drops at all for a long time. And it can be repeated a number of times. The chances of IOP spikes after the procedure are statistically rare and the hospital monitors you for an hour to check it hasn’t happened and have treatments to bring it down quickly, if it does rise.
I’m not sure what age you are but interestingly research has found younger people tend to choose SLT when offered, whereas older people tend to choose drops. But I guess whether you actually have glaucoma and actual sight loss may affect how aggressive you’re prepared to be. Whatever your decision you are very lucky to have the choice! I wish you a positive outcome whatever you choose. 👍🏻
It is really up to you and your opthalmologist what route you go down with, I am still using drops 10 years down the line, sadly there is no cure for glaucoma and what ever will keep your sight is very important, you say you are on suspect, so to me it seems a very early division to make to have surgery, as I say everyone glaucoma suspect or not is different, there are so many different types, discuss it with a opthalmologist your sight is important, all the best.
hi, after a recent eye test I was referred to a glaucoma clinic at the eye infirmary, I was told my field test was good, my pressures were ok, but I had discs of differing sizes , but that i was being referred as a precautionary measure, in light of the fact that my mother has glaucoma.
At the eye infirmary appointment after all tests were carried out , the nurse informed me that my field test was perfect, my discs are different sizes, my eye pressures were 22 in both eyes, which was raised pressure following my opticians appointment, and the back of my eye was thinned in one eye only. The nurse was going to pass my results onto the Consultant, but felt I would either a) be referred back to the optician for yearly monitoring during my eye tests, or b) be monitored in clinic . 2 days later the nurse rang me and said the Consultant wanted me to start on Latanaprost eye drops, one in each eye at night and had written to my GP to get these on regular prescription. When I received a copy of the report it said the results of the investigations are not stable and the diagnosis was suspicious discs with family history of glaucoma.
I’ve now been using the drops for two weeks, and assume they’ve been prescribed because of my family history of glaucoma and my pressures, though my diagnosis is not glaucoma. I will be reviewed in 8-10 weeks with a further pressure check, where hopefully I will find my pressures have dropped ( fingers crossed)
I’m a worrier too, but having seen my mothers glaucoma journey , ( she was diagnosed 40 years ago, and is now 93) , i didn’t hesitate to use the drops.
It’s good that you’re gathering information in order to make an informed decision, and I do understand how overwhelming this can all be. It’s worth bearing in mind that not all Glaucoma suspects will develop glaucoma,
I’m not sure my post will have helped, it’s just my experience so far, but using the drops isn’t as daunting as I thought it would be, it’s just another evening ritual I do, alongside cleaning my teeth, removing make up and moisturising, and I’m hoping they are doing their job, and trying not to worry about it.
hi Welshsailor, mum is now on 2 different eye drop medications , 4 x daily and also had surgery to reduce the pressures, done at the same time as her cataract surgery. The last year has been challenging, with blurred vision and more regular check ups and referrals to the eye infirmary. Her pressures are currently within the “ normal “ range. Considering her age , and the length of time she has had glaucoma, she is doing ok. Thanks for asking.
Thank you all so much for your help -Im a terrible worrier and its impossible to really speak to anyone -youre just left these days really.Im 71 -gonna try speak hospital today- know i must act quick.
Hello , the types of treatments are varied depending on the individual's condition. For me it started with one kind of drops for a few years -> two kinds of drops for another few years -> three kinds of drops for another few years then SLT on one eye -> after few years then -> trabeculectomy. A few years ago as Beecalmed said -> NHS NICE guidelines recommended SLT as the first choice option in glaucoma treatment . It also depends on the Health Authority facilities.
SLT and Monopost are both seen as first line defence treatments against either glaucoma or suspected glaucoma to bring pressures down as a preventative measure.SLT is supposedly best on 'virgin' eyes or where you haven't been using drops for that long, I would say go for SLT as soon as it is offered. There isn't anything to undo once it done, if it doesn't work then it just doesn't work, it won't negatively affect your eyes.
Sometimes you won't need drops after for anything UPTO 5 years or you may need drops alongside the SLT. SLT is completely pain free and if you use drops exactly as told to do so then you shouldn't have any side effects.
Hi Swanlady (nice name) There are already so many good points on here but I just wanted to add, I notice a lot of people on this site worry about SLT when they are first told about it (understandably so when it's all new) but in the world of Glaucoma it really is a bog standard painless quick procedure, with a low chance of getting a bad reaction from. So because it's more effective on virgin it's definitely worth having a go at before you start any treatment if you get the chance, when I had it, the doctors were very casual about it; there was an air of ok we will give it a go and see if it helps, I read on here someone say they had to wait 3 months, which is shocking because it's such a quick thing, I liken it to being sent for a scan. Also I definitely agree with people, if you get drops, make sure they are preseritive free (the other ones I don't even know why they make them) using drops is nothing to worry about either, in no time at all putting them in becomes second nature. All the best to you.
Hi swanlady, you’ve been given lots of sound advice on here so I’m just adding my own experience.
I was diagnosed with glaucoma in the summer of 2021 with optic nerve damage but only very slight visual field loss. I had SLT to both eyes pretty much straight away, and as people have said, it was a very quick and painless procedure, not like an operation at all.
My pressures have remained low and as yet (and I saw my consultant again last week)I do not have to use drops. The way I see it I would like to be drop free for as long as possible so for me this was the best way to proceed.
Thank you so much for your advice -everyone has been so kind -I'm so glad I got directed to this forum and I really appreciate the advice given by all.
Thank you to yourself -the young Dr at hospital didnt give much info apart from a leaflet - from what Ive read I was concerned re pressure spiking and damage then occuring. I rang the hospital consultants secretary earlier and surprisngly she is going to get a consultant to ring me. I can ask some questions and possibly find out what the waiting time might be etc & whether I should start drops in the meantime.i will report on forum when I have decided. I really appreciate hearing your experience which is reassuring. Thank you so much.
I was diagnosed about a year ago and have been on Monopost since then. I had SLT in November, but was told to continue with the Monopost long term in addition to SLT, for the best effect (and to make sure I was still covered when the SLT wore off a year or two down the line).
As it turned out, the SLT hasn't made any difference to my pressures, so it's just as well I'm still doing the Monopost! (Actually, the Monopost hasn't made any difference to my pressures either, but would be daft to stop taking it. I have regular pressure glaucoma, so I hover around 16. So far, my visual field tests are stable, so all is good.).
In terms of actually having the SLT, it's nothing to worry about, I was geared up for something surgery-like, but it was a total non-event! More like going to the optician's or something. I had some drops put in my eyes, then shortly after that, went in and it was just like the doc was shining green lights in my eyes, I didn't feel anything. Mild discomfort where they push a lens up against your eye so they can see what they're doing, but the drops minimise that. It didn't take too long, then I sat in the waiting room for a little while, had my pressures checked again, and was sent on my way.
I think at the moment, you're giving yourself the worst of both worlds - you're putting off treatment AND worrying! You'd be much better to crack on with one of the treatments, and then you can stop worrying, because you know you're doing something about it.
Spot on yes I'm worrying.I started the drops after telephone with consultant Mr Alaghband. He said he would see me at next consultation & do procedure if I wanted-said leave it with me.. However just got letter this morning for usual check no mention of him. I will have to ring them . Just seem to get conflicting info at hosp at mo -experiencing that with separate situation with my husband. Thank you & i wish you well.
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