AYURVEDIC MANAGEMENT OF PRIMARY OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA: A CASE STUDY

Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease in ophthalmology, which has a characteristic optic neuropathy along with raised Intraocular Pressure (IOP). Glaucoma results in the irreversible loss of vision and field defects due to the death of retinal ganglion cells. Despite the considerable drug development activity in glaucoma, there is a high failure rate in researches that focused on developing neuroprotective treatment options. A 62-year-old male patient came in the outpatient department with complaints of the progressive painful loss of vision in both eyes with a mild headache and redness along with raised IOP. It was a diagnosed case of primary open-angle glaucoma. Considering the symptomatology and after examination, the Ayurveda treatment was planned. He had given Deepana, Pachana, Sadyovirechana, Tarpana, Vidalak, Nasya, Jaloukacharana, Anjana, along with Shirodhara. There was improvement in visual acuity along with significant reduction of intra-occular pressure. Visual field analysis showed improvement in retinal sensitivity. Thus it can be concluded that Ayurvedic approach is helpful in giving a complimentary treatment protocol for primary open angle glaucoma.