Glaucoma damage is irreversible, but its progression can be effectively slowed by consistently lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) through prescribed treatments and adopting healthy lifestyle habits.
Researchers have found that immediately treating people who have early stage glaucoma can delay progression of the disease. This finding supports the medical community's emerging consensus that treatment to lower pressure inside the eye can slow glaucoma damage and subsequent vision loss.
Vitamins C and E
These antioxidants help protect your eyes from oxidative damage, which can worsen glaucoma. Include plenty of foods rich in vitamins C and E in your diet to help slow the progression of glaucoma.
Antioxidants and nitrates may reduce glaucoma risk and are found in fruits and vegetables. It is best to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially those that are rich in Vitamin A and C, carotenes and nitrates. These include green leafy vegetables, carrots, cruciate vegetables, berries, citrus fruits and peaches.
Aerobic exercises, like walking, running, and swimming, stand out for their ability to significantly lower IOP. These exercises enhance cardiovascular fitness, improving blood circulation throughout the body, including the eyes.
Lifestyle and home remedies
The rule of 5 is a simple rule for detecting retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) change on spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT), in which a loss of 5 μm of global RNFL on a follow-up test is considered evidence of significant change when compared with the baseline.
Heavy caffeine intake should be advised against due to its transient elevations in IOP, especially in genetically predisposed patients or those with a positive family history of glaucoma. Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to many systemic complications and increased risk of glaucoma.
If you've been diagnosed with glaucoma, then your ophthalmologist might make the following suggestions: Sleeping in an upright position: Because it's known that IOP rises when you're horizontal, sleeping more upright may help reduce this.
So, What Foods Should You Avoid If You Have Glaucoma?
Long-term vision health starts at the cellular level. For people with glaucoma, preserving optic nerve function over time is key, and recent findings suggest that supplementing with vitamin D may slow cellular aging by supporting telomere length and reducing chronic inflammation.
Vitamin D is a nutrient the body needs, along with calcium, to build bones and keep them healthy. The body can absorb calcium only if it has enough vitamin D. Calcium is a major part of bones. Vitamin D also has many other uses in the body. It supports immune health and helps keep muscles and brain cells working.
While treatment for glaucoma cannot restore vision if it has already been lost, it can preserve remaining sight. Typically, many forms of glaucoma are first treated with daily eye drops or a laser procedure.
Causes of Glaucoma
Medications to lower pressure in your eyes include:
A newer, innovative glaucoma treatment option is selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT). With this procedure, your eye doctor applies laser energy to the tissue inside your eye, stimulating the affected tissue to increase the natural drainage process.
“Strict adherence to medication is the single most important thing a patient with glaucoma can do to keep their vision from worsening,” Yohannan says.
The 30-30-30 rule for eyes is a guideline to prevent digital eye strain: every 30 minutes spent on a screen, look away at something 30 feet (about 9 meters) away for at least 30 seconds, allowing your eyes to relax and refocus. This simple break helps reset your focusing system, moisturizes eyes by encouraging blinking, and reduces symptoms like dryness, irritation, and headaches from prolonged screen time.
There was also a connection between glaucoma and pronounced daytime sleepiness. Sleep problems and glaucoma are not always related, but it is important to consult a doctor to help resolve sleep issues.
On average, let's take a closer look at the relationship between intraocular pressure and going blind from glaucoma: 21-25 mmHg – if left untreated, it takes about 15 years for glaucoma to cause blindness. 25-30 mmHg – if left untreated, it takes about seven years for glaucoma to cause blindness.
Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that has the potential to protect the optic nerve against oxidative stress. One study noted that vitamin C levels were significantly lower in patients with normal tension glaucoma (NTG) than in healthy control patients.
Protect your eyes from sunlight.
There is some evidence that the sun's UV rays may cause a type of glaucoma. Wear quality polarized sunglasses and a hat when exploring the outdoors.
Seniors (70+ years old): The normal eye pressure for 70 year olds and beyond may still fall within the 10 to 21 mmHg range, but it's closely monitored for any increases, as they are more susceptible to eye conditions like glaucoma.
Stage 1: Glaucoma begins with any alteration to your drainage system, which leads to increased intraocular pressure.
Glaucoma suspects and patients can measure their IOP using the HOME2 tonometer during normal activities as directed by their doctor. The iCare PATIENT2 mobile app provides the patient a graphical view of their IOP measurements history which can increase compliance with their treatment plan and follow up appointments.