This optic nerve cupping can be seen directly by the examining doctor using a variety of instruments, and its appearance can be recorded with photographs and other techniques. The only proven treatment for glaucoma is lowering of the intraocular pressure , and is effective even in cases of normal-pressure glaucoma. Medication in the form of eyedrops or by mouth can be used to lower eye pressure, much in the same way a doctor lowers blood pressure with medicine. In underdeveloped nations, surgery may be used as a first line of defense against loss of vision, in part due to the expense or lack of availability of medication. Surgery always carries some risk of complications, however, which is why it is generally reserved in this country for more difficult cases.
Laser treatment is a good alternative.
Laser trabeculoplasty, as it is termed, may decrease the eye pressure sufficiently, and for many people may allow them to eliminate or avoid additional medications to control their pressure. The effect of laser may fade over time, which is why anyone with glaucoma needs to been followed carefully throughout the year to detect a change in the effectiveness of their treatment. Though, the disease may not be eliminated entirely, new treatments are being developed all the time which are more effective than ever before in reducing eye pressure over a long period of time. The answer is different for each individual. A Mayo clinic study published three years ago reviewed the files of 295 patients treated there.