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If your pet has glaucoma, immediate treatment is necessary to prevent the animal from going blind. Medication in the form of drops or pills is usually given. In some cases, special surgical procedures can reduce eye pressure.

In cases of severe or chronic glaucoma, the eye can become permanently blind and painful to the animal. In such a case, surgery is recommended to relieve the pain.

The medication used by dogs and cats with glaucoma is similar to the one prescribed for human patients. Unfortunately, that makes the medication more costly as compared to medications specifically made for animals.

Examples of these medications include eye drops like Timolol and Methazolamide pills. There are a number of other similar medications that a veterinarian may prescribe depending on the animal and its condition.

Although medical therapy for humans can be very effective for the long-term control of glaucoma, this is not so for animals. In three year's time, the medication becomes ineffective.

Because of this, some experts advocate the use of small doses of medicine to control the condition. This way, your pet doesn't become "immune" to the medication quickly.

Laser surgery and cryosurgery are two methods that will reduce eye pressure caused by glaucoma if medication becomes ineffective.

The laser burns through the white area of the eye to kill small areas of the ciliary body to reduce fluid production in the eye. This procedure may be repeated if not enough of the ciliary body has been damaged.

Another method involves freezing the ciliary body with a small probe placed outside the eye. After surgery, there is considerable swelling of the eye which may cause blindness. For this reason, cryosurgery is often used as a last resort to save the animal's vision.

When medications or other treatments can't control glaucoma and if the glaucomatous eye is blind and painful, then surgery should be performed to treat the condition and prevent further pain to your pet.

Surgical options for the treatment of a blind and painful glaucoma eye are removal of the eye, prosthesis surgery, and chemical injection.

Some symptoms of pain are when your pet rubs its eye, squints or tears excessively or cry if the eye is bumped. Your pet may act depressed and exhibit personality changes such as sleeping more than usual or acting continually sluggish. Often people may simply think that these personality changes are due to old age. See a vet if these symptoms are present.

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