Reports show that 11.2 million people in India who are in their 40s or above have glaucoma, and only 20% of them are aware of it. Does this information seem surprising to you? If yes, you’re not the only one. A lot of our patients who were diagnosed with glaucoma ask us: How was I unaware of this for so long? If so many people have it, how come the diagnosis ratio is so low? It’s because glaucoma symptoms aren’t distinctly noticeable until it reaches the advanced stages.
So, how do you prevent glaucoma if there are no symptoms? Prevention starts from understanding the condition first. If you know what glaucoma is and how it occurs and progresses, and what triggers this condition, you can easily find ways to prevent it.
Note: Glaucoma isn’t a highly preventable disease. The prevention tips that we are going to share are based on our years of studies and patient handling.
In this blog, we’ll discuss what glaucoma is, what the possible causes and symptoms are, prevention tips, and available treatments at Sohana Hospital.
What is Glaucoma? Common Causes and Symptoms
The optic nerve in our eye is responsible for sending visual signals to the brain. When the optic nerve gets damaged, the connection between our eyes and the brain gets disrupted. This damage to the optic nerve mostly occurs due to increased eye pressure or IOP. This condition is called glaucoma.
Causes:
- Aging
- Family history of glaucoma
- Extreme myopia or hyperopia
- Excessive use of steroids
- Medical conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure
- Ethnicity (Asians are at the highest risk for glaucoma)
Symptoms:
- Sensitivity to light
- Seeing halos around lights
- Loss of peripheral vision
- Sudden vision loss
- Extreme pain and redness in the eyes (Acute angle closure glaucoma)
How Do You Prevent Glaucoma – Lifestyle Tips
To prevent glaucoma or any kind of disease, you need to make some changes in your lifestyle. Relax, we are not putting you on a diet or asking you to run 10 kilometres; these changes are very feasible and easy to adopt.
Get Your Eyes Checked:
The best way to prevent glaucoma is to get your eyes checked on a regular basis. If you are 40 or above, get your eyes checked twice a year, and if you are in your 30s, annual check-ups are fine. See, we already told you that glaucoma doesn’t have any symptoms until it has worsened. So, for an early diagnosis, you must get your eyes checked. If your doctor finds out that you are at high risk, you can start taking proper precautions to live a healthy life and protect your vision.
Avoid Eye Injuries:
We know, it’s stupid. How can a person avoid injuries? Nobody wants an eye injury, but it happens. But, as we always say, there’s no harm in taking precautions. If you are using any sharp tools, working in your garden, etc., use protective eyeglasses.
Exercise Carefully:
Taking care of your physical health is a must, but if you are at a higher risk, avoid certain exercises, such as yoga poses that increase eye pressure, heavy weightlifting, swimming with tight goggles, high-intensity interval training, etc.
Take Care of Your Diet:
You must be wondering how foods can increase eye pressure or damage the nerves in your eyes. Well, it can. Remember, it all starts with blood. Anything that raises blood pressure can also increase your eye pressure.
- Include Vitamin C and E-rich foods like leafy green vegetables, carrots, citrus fruits, and sweet potatoes. They protect your eye tissues from oxidative damage that may cause glaucoma.
- Omega-3 fatty acids are very essential for your eye health as they reduce inflammation in your eyes. So, try to include walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, salmon, and sardines in your diet.
- This one is easy, and most of you have them daily. We are talking about kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, etc. They are rich in magnesium, which improves blood circulation in the eyes.
Sleep in the Right Position:
It might look like sleeping doesn’t have anything to do with glaucoma, but sleeping on your stomach or pressing your eyes can increase eye pressure, which may elevate the risk. It’s best to sleep on your back, using a slightly elevated pillow.
Treatments for Glaucoma
| Treatment Type | Procedures | How it Works |
Medication | Oral/eye drops | Helps in reducing excessive fluid production in your eyes or in better drainage of the fluid. |
| Laser Treatment | – Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) – YAG Laser Peripheral Iridotomy – Cyclophotocoagulation | Stimulates fluid drainage channels or creates a small channel in the iris to open a drainage channel. It helps improve fluid outflow, resulting in reduced eye pressure. |
| Surgery | – Trabeculectomy – Glaucoma Drainage Devices (GDDs) | Your surgeon creates a drainage tunnel or implants drainage devices to improve your eyes’ natural drainage flow and reduce pressure. |
Conclusion:
So, how do you prevent glaucoma? By taking the right care of your eyes, getting them checked regularly after 40, and following Sohana Eye Hospital’s expert advice. Remember, eye diseases that don’t have early symptoms can still be treated and prevented early, through regular examinations. So, when are you visiting us for your eye check-up?