Current and Future Glaucoma Management: An Update on Existing Options and the Therapeutic Pipeline

Topical pharmacologic therapy is the mainstay primary treatment for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension. Unfortunately, many patients need to be on multiple medications and different classes of drugs before there is adequate intraocular pressure (IOP) control. And for some patients, visual field loss will progress despite adequate IOP control. Until recently, no new topical pharmacologic treatments had been approved in the United States for more than a decade. Two new formulations were approved in late 2017. Ophthalmologists and other health care providers may not be familiar with potential new treatments for glaucoma, the latest clinical studies evaluating treatment nor the mechanism of action of topical medications.