How can I prevent or slow the development of glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that affects the optic nerve. Its insidiousness is that it develops very slowly, and a person comes to the ophthalmologist too late. A characteristic sign of the disease is increased pressure inside the organ. As soon as it reaches a critically high mark, damage to the optic nerve begins. Without medical help comes irreversible blindness. Knowing the causes of glaucoma, you will be able, if not to avoid it, then in time to notice this dangerous and insidious disease and start treatment.

Where do the causes of glaucoma of the eyes lie?

According to doctors’ observations, the most common causes of open-angle glaucoma are:

  • Heredity. If even one blood relative has suffered from glaucoma, it is necessary to undergo regular examinations;
  • Age greater than 50 years;
  • High intraocular pressure. Normal pressure is considered to be between 10 and 21 mm Hg. If this figure is higher than 21 mmHg, the risk of developing glaucoma is very high and you need to be seen by a specialist;
  • A “thin” cornea – clinical studies in recent years have shown this;
  • Abnormal refraction; with hyperopia, mainly closed-angle form develops, and with myopia – open-angle form;
  • Prolonged use of corticosteroids;
  • Various traumas of the eye, complications after surgical interventions and severe eye diseases, such as cataracts. The structures of the eye are damaged and the drainage system fails.

The main causes of congenital glaucoma are abnormal development of the drainage system of the eye during pregnancy and genetic predisposition.

Basic rules of prevention

Preventive measures help to reduce the damage that high pressure causes to the visual system, that is, prevent atrophy of the optic nerve, blindness.

  1. Do not overstrain. Limit both physical and psycho-emotional loads. Moderate activity helps to normalize blood circulation in the visual system and prevent tissue hypoxia. However, for the prevention of glaucoma, it is necessary to exclude heavy lifting, it is allowed to lift objects up to 10 kg.
  2. Do not keep your head tilted. It is harmful for glaucoma patients to engage in activities that require tilting the head forward for long periods of time. This applies to painting, drawing, knitting, embroidery and similar activities. It is necessary to maintain a level head position when working at the computer, watching television programs, and reading.
  3. Set up proper lighting. It is dangerous for people with glaucoma to work in poor lighting. It is important to make it optimally bright to keep your eyes from overstretching. Avoid sudden changes in lighting. This is especially true for people with closed-angle glaucoma.
  4. Give up bad habits. Smoking has an extremely negative effect on the blood supply not only to the organs of vision. The transportation of oxygen and useful substances to all elements of the eyeball is disturbed.
  5. Do not wear clothes or accessories that disrupt blood circulation in the neck and head.
  6. Avoid visual fatigue. While working at the computer, reading and watching movies, it is important to take breaks. It is recommended to allocate 10-15 minutes every hour for rest. During this time you should really rest, not change one strenuous activity for another.
  7. Eat right. To prevent glaucoma, you should include raw vegetables, fish, and fruits in your diet, while reducing animal fats and sugar.
  8. Consume moderate amounts of water. Limit the daily allowance of water or other liquids is not worth it, unless there is a doctor’s order to do so. It is not always necessary to give up coffee or tea in glaucoma, but you should not drink more than one cup of any liquid at a time. To be on the safe side, you can check your reaction to coffee: measure your blood pressure before and after.
  9. Get plenty of rest and get a good night’s sleep. Rest is an important preventive measure for many diseases. Eight-hour sleep from 10-12 pm is considered sufficient. It is desirable not to stay up late, walk in the evening in the fresh air. It is necessary to sleep on high pillows. After waking up, it is recommended to do a warm-up right in bed.
  10. Constantly monitor your condition. Even if the intraocular pressure is stable, it is necessary to visit the doctor at least four times a year.

Special gymnastics also gives good results. Exercises do not take much time and are very simple to perform. For example:

  • rotate your eyes in different directions: up and down, right and left;
  • tilt and turn your head to the right, left and forward;
  • turn your head very slowly to the left and right sides;
  • close your eyes and massage them with your finger gently from the outer corner to the inner corner;
  • stroke your face from top to bottom and back with the whole palm of your hand;
  • with two fingers make soft movements from behind the ears to the face;
  • massage your neck with both hands for one to two minutes.

Nutritional recommendations

Prevention of glaucoma is the consumption of products containing vitamins A, E and C. This is due to the antioxidant properties of these substances, and, as is known, it is the action of free radicals that negatively affects the organs of vision. Where to get vitamins from:

A: carrots, apples, potatoes, beets, cabbage, lettuce, red peppers, bananas, citrus fruits, apricots;

E: marine fish, poultry, greens, leafy vegetables, vegetable oils;

C: cabbage, spinach, red peppers, asparagus, tomatoes, citrus fruits, strawberries.

In addition to antioxidants, taking vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12 is additionally recommended. B vitamins control oxidation, carbohydrate metabolism, and cell growth. They are found in nuts, cereals, dairy products, meat and fish.

For visual impairment, everyone is advised to eat more wild berries and red grapes. Useful will be oatmeal, wheat and buckwheat porridge, dairy products, low-fat soups, legumes, bread (up to 200 g per day). It is important to maintain normal bowel function.

It is important to limit fluids to 1.5 liters per day. Water should enter the body evenly throughout the day. Use less sour cream, butter, and easily digestible carbohydrates. Concentrated soups, salty dishes, meat by-products, spices, baked goods, strong coffee, tea, as well as alcohol can be dangerous.

Glaucoma is not a death sentence. You can live with this disease, especially without changing your habits. The most important thing is to detect glaucoma at an early stage, when its progression can be stopped.

Timely treatment

Glaucoma is a complication of many eye diseases. Its symptoms may appear after trauma, as well as in cataract and refractive disorders, especially in severe hyperopia. These diseases provoke pupillary block and impaired circulation of intraocular fluid.

It is possible to detect increased intraocular pressure at the initial stage only at an appointment with an ophthalmologist. Modern devices allow you to correctly and accurately assess the state of the visual system and identify violations.

Today there are many techniques that allow you to significantly slow down the process of vision loss in glaucoma. First of all, conservative therapy is prescribed. The task of drugs is to reduce eye pressure, because otherwise the optic nerve and retina are systematically squeezed, from which the patient gradually loses vision. If this does not help, surgery is performed.

The importance of early diagnosis of glaucoma

Often a person notices the problem only when the disease has reached a neglected stage. At this stage, even competent treatment may be ineffective. People over 40 years old need to be more attentive to their health, pay attention to the symptoms.

The problem may be indicated by visual discomfort, rapid fatigue of the eyes, unpleasant sensations (a feeling of bloating in the morning, pain in the area of the eyebrows, blurring, iridescent circles when looking at light sources).

If one family member is diagnosed with glaucoma, others should be screened regardless of age or symptoms.

Prevention will help avoid glaucoma and other diseases of the visual system not only for people with a predisposition. Remember that the disease can develop even in a healthy person.

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