Glaucoma Therapies: Past, Present and Future

Terapias para el Glaucoma: Pasado, Presente y Futuro

Abstract

Glaucoma management stands at an inflection point. The convergence of sustained drug delivery, implant-free laser platforms, gene therapy, and AI-driven diagnostics is reshaping a $9 billion global market away from the daily eye drop and toward interventional, precision-targeted care. This shift matters because glaucoma remains the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting over 80 million people today with projections exceeding 110 million by 2040. Despite decades of effective IOP-lowering medications, up to 60% of patients fail to adhere to daily drop regimens, a compliance crisis that drives vision loss even when treatments exist. The new generation of devices and Drug delivery directly attacks this fundamental gap, offering physician-administered, long-acting solutions that bypass patient adherence entirely. The key is that glaucoma treatment paradigm is shifting from “drops first, drops always” to proactive interventional management: combining laser, MIGS, sustained delivery, and eventually neuroprotection and gene therapy into a precision medicine framework.