Changing paradigms in the medical treatment of glaucoma.

Glaucoma is defined by a typical optic neuropathy accompanied by characteristic visual field loss and eventual blindness. The major risk factor for glaucoma is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Lowering IOP is currently the only proven method for reducing the risk of glaucomatous visual field loss and remains the primary goal of therapy. With the recent introduction of many new medications that lower IOP, the definition of what constitutes maximum tolerated medical therapy has been changing. The treatment can now be tailored better to each individual patient. The regimen needs to be affordable, easy to understand, and least interfering with the patient's quality of life. beta-blockers still are the mainstay of initial therapy, but more and more prostaglandin analogs and also alpha-2 agonists are being used initially. Systemic carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and cholinergics are being used less frequently.