Glaucoma: Keeping Your Vision Young & Healthy Naturally

Are you a heavy computer user?
You'd be wise to consider your vulnerability to glaucoma.

When mom and dad told you to eat your carrots because they were good for your eyes, they were on the right track. As researchers continue to document that we really are what we eat, the role of nutrition in eye health becomes clearer and more important all the time.

Start your glaucoma prevention and treatment programs by considering diet. More than 25 per cent of the nutrients we absorb nourish our "visual system" - our eyes and all of the nerves, blood vessels and tissues that support our vision. Indeed the concentration of Vitamin C in healthy eyes is higher than almost anywhere else in the body. It is not surprising then that proper nutrition plays an important role in preventing and treating problems such as glaucoma, computer eye strain, dry eyex, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

The diet plan we prescribe emphasizes a variety of whole foods with emphasis on fruits and vegetables. The body does not use each vitamin and mineral in isolation. The absence of one nutrient can affect the body's ability to use another; for example, proper amounts of magnesium and vitamin D are needed to absorb and utilize calcium efficiently. Without adequate levels of zinc, the body cannot utilize all of the vitamin A it receives. Similarly, the B vitamins are needed together, working best as a team.

Eating a variety of whole foods and omitting processed sugar and other junk foods will help your body to get a wide range of nutrients. The body can lose a significant amount of nutrients when we eat nutrient poor foods. For example, we lose chromium and B vitamins as our body tries to burn white sugar. Therefore getting our nutrients if possible through healthy foods that we eat is a key to keeping good vision.

Glaucoma: quick overview

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness around the world: The condition affects approximately 60 million people. Glaucoma is an eye condition that over time can damage the optic nerve, resulting in loss of peripheral vision (side vision), sometimes to the point of blindness if not treated. The damage is due to having chronically high eye pressure (referred to as "intraocular pressure"). Unless evaluated by an eye doctor, most cases of glaucoma have no symptoms associated with it until the person starts to notice a lessening in peripheral vision.

So, let’s say you are 56 years old and you have borderline high eye pressures of 26 and 27 mm/Hg (normal range is 10 to 22 mm/Hg). At this point the eye doctor will most likely give you a visual fields test that maps your peripheral vision, and will also check the health of the optic nerve. If your visual field and optic nerve are fine, the doctor will either just monitor it regularly or possibly give medication to lower the pressure, but rarely, will eye doctors consider natural ways to lower eye pressure.

Diet in a Glaucoma Treatment Program

A program which includes dietary changes, nutritional supplementation such as omega 3 essential fatty acids, alpha lipoic acid and vitamin C, and physical exercise have all been shown by research to help lower eye pressure naturally without medication. For more detailed information on glaucoma treatment options, see the Glaucoma Conditions Recommendations

Other Tips:

Besides nutrition the following are some important recommendations to keep your eyes healthy:

1. Don't keep your eyes focused in one place for a sustained period of time. Change your focus. Look up out a window periodically when your doing close work to give your eyes a break. Sustained contraction of the eyes can also lead to a contraction of your upper body and neck. Don't stare continuously without breaks as that causes tension on the visual system, and can contribute to vision problems.
2. Get at least 20 minutes of natural sunlight a day. Go for a walk. The eyes are light sensing organs. It's important to get enough sunlight so that they operate optimally.
Wear UV protective sunglasses to protect your eyes from damaging sun rays.
3. Quit smoking! Smokers have a significantly higher risk of eye disease than non-smokers.
4. Reduce sugar and alcohol intake.

I hope this information is helpful in having you keep your precious gift of sight for your lifetime. For more information you can contact Dr. Marc Grossman at www.naturaleyecare.com or by calling 845-255-8222.