Medical Treatment

The treatment of angle recession glaucoma depends on how severe your eye is injured and how well your eye heals following this injury. If you are diagnosed with angle recession, then your treatment will be similar to that of POAG. (For a complete discussion of the treatment of POAG, see Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.) 

The treatment of angle recession glaucoma includes monitoring your IOP as well as reducing it through the use of medicated eyedrops.

• Eyes with normal IOP and with angle recession involving more than 180° of the iris are routinely examined for an indefinite time period to monitor for the development of late glaucoma.
  
  
• If the IOP in your eye is abnormally elevated, your ophthalmologist will decide whether or not to begin medical treatment based on your overall risk of vision loss.
  
  
  • To assess this risk, your eye doctor takes into account how high your IOP is elevated, the appearance of your optic nerve, and the findings of your visual field tests.
    
    
  • Treatment is most often indicated when your IOP is greater than 25-28 mm Hg and/or when changes in your optic nerve or your visual field are documented over time.

• Each person’s response to medical treatment is different.
  
  
  • Treatment with medicated eyedrops may be effective in cases of mild-to-moderate angle recession, while elevated IOP in eyes with extensive injury to the angle may eventually no longer respond to medications.
    
    
  • Severe cases of angle recession may not respond to even aggressive medical treatment and typically have a poorer overall prognosis.