Glaucoma

Recovery Plans | 0 comments

RECOVERY PLAN – Glaucoma

Glaucoma is defined as a collection of diseases that causes optic nerve damage.

  • Open angle or Chronic Glaucoma – is the most common type. This responds well to nutritional intervention as per our recommendations.
  • Narrow Angle Glaucoma is an ocular emergency. The symptoms can be a sudden, painful red eye, nausea, vomiting, headache and visual halos. In the event of the symptoms above seek medical help immediately.
  • Low Tension Glaucoma is usually a sign of poor circulation. Heart problems, brain tumours, or toxic drugs can all produce optic nerve damage that may present as glaucoma. A Natural health Doctors is recommended for diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
  • Secondary Glaucoma develops secondarily to other conditions, for example, due to inflammation, injury, blood in the eye or drug side effects (such as from steroids). A Natural health Doctor is recommended for diagnosis and appropriate treatment
  • Glaucoma Suspects are people with higher than normal eye pressure but never develop glaucoma. These people should be monitored regularly. This responds well to nutritional intervention as per our recommendations.
  • Congenital Glaucoma may occur in the first few months of life. A Natural health Doctor is recommended for diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Symptoms:

  • Reduced peripheral vision
  • Intraocular pressure (IOP) greater than 21, or where there is a large discrepancy in IOP’s between the two eyes.
  • Optic cup asymmetry

Causes:

  1. High level of stress – Results in Poor Breathing, Digestion and comfort eating of starchy foods.
  2. Bad Diet – Too many starchy foods Bread, Pastry, Biscuits, Breakfast cereals and High Starch Root Vegetables (potatoes, parsnips etc). These all cause a damaging high level of glucose spikes in the bloodstream.
  3. Nutritional Deficiencies – Often sufferers of glaucoma are deficient in some or many of the important nutrients including essential fatty acids, Lutein, zeaxanthin, Taurine, antioxidants, bioflavonoid, zinc, selenium, vitamin B-complex.
  4. Drugs (most of all prescribed drugs) -. Use of any prescribed drugs will have some side effect and example, antibiotics is also a prime culprit in poor digestion due to the killing of important stomach flora that will inhibit Taurine an important amino acid in the eye.
  5. Family History of Glaucoma – can be genetic or just simply living the same lifestyle.
  6. Other chronic diseases that can raise IOP’s include obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease (insufficient blood flow to the eyes), thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism) which due to prominent eyes, the eyes are exposed to increased pressure from intraorbital swelling. These are in the main caused by 1, 2 and 3.
  7. Being African-American (glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among this population. This racial grouping is know to be unable to eat high starch food groups and again in the main caused by 1,2, and 3.
  8. Extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness (higher level and a risk of angle closure). 1,2 and 3 may cause this also.
  9. Steroid use, often in the form of eye drops, nose drops or inhalants (elevates IOL pressure mildly in approximately 16% of people on steroids).

Nutritional Intervention:

Damage to the optic nerve can still happen with eye drop controlled pressures. Nutritional support, supplementation and lifestyle changes can dramatically improve the condition of your eyes.