Medical treatment: Alternative medicine and glaucoma

Abstract

When patients ask this sort of a question, seize this opportunity to bond with them. Do not dismiss such a question in a trivial manner. Such a question typically comes from newly diagnosed glaucoma patients who are in the initial phases of acquiring knowledge about their condition and learning about you, the physician. The question is usually not meant to challenge your knowledge about glaucoma. Use this question as a stepping-stone to explain the natural history of glaucoma and what one can expect from conventional therapy. If the patient senses an aloof approach from you, how will they respond if you actually recommend something invasive like a trabeculectomy, even when such a recommendation is totally appropriate? Glaucoma is a life-long condition and providing knowledgeable answers to this type of question will go a long way toward building a healthy patient-physician relationship. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.