5 Keys To Prevent Glaucoma
Lost vision due to ocular glaucoma is irrecoverable. Although it is also not known how to prevent glaucoma from developing, there are ways to avoid severe vision loss and blindness from this cause.
Glaucoma affects more than 3% of the population and is, together with diabetes, the leading preventable cause of blindness.
The first and most important thing, as in most diseases, is prevention and specifically regular check-ups. Preventing glaucoma is the key to avoiding vision loss.
Before discussing how to prevent it, we must know exactly what it is.
What Is Ocular Glaucoma
A disease called glaucoma harms the eye’s optic nerve.
An accumulation of fluid in the front of the eye is the most frequent cause. The optic nerve is harmed by the extra fluid that raises eye pressure.
Now that we understand what it is, we will see one by one the 5 keys to prevent glaucoma.
Regular Eye Exams To Prevent Glaucoma
You should have eye exams to prevent ocular glaucoma when you have one or more of one risk factors such as:
- People over 40 years of age.
- Genetics: If you have relatives with glaucoma and if you are of African, Hispanic, or Asian descent.
- Other eye pathologies: If you have high eye pressure (ocular hypertension) or if you have hyperopia or high myopia (more than 6 diopters).
- Previous injuries: If you have suffered an eye injury.
- Treatment with certain drugs: prolonged use of steroids.
- Ocular characteristics: Such as having thin corneas in the centre or if you suffer from narrowing of the optic nerve.
- Diseases: If you have diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, migraines, poor blood circulation or other health problems that affect the whole body.
Periodic Eye Exams Are Essential To Save Your Sight!
If you have more than one of these risk factors, you are a “suspicious glaucoma” patient and have a higher risk of developing the disease. For this reason, God Service Eye Clinic suggests that you should be carefully evaluated by your ophthalmologist.
Complementary Tests To Prevent Glaucoma
In addition to measuring intraocular pressure, there are also more precise diagnostic methods that are also non-invasive tests and that serve to prevent glaucoma. They are available in the main specific eye healthcare services. They are Campimetry or visual field and tomography.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT), Gonioscopy and Pachymetry are some of these methods and are used to determine whether or not there has been an injury to the optic nerve. In addition to quantifying the damage to the optic nerve, they allow us to predict which patients with ocular hypertension are at greater risk of developing glaucoma.
The Medical Follow-up And The Rigor Of The Patient In The Treatment
Glaucoma cannot be cured, it is a chronic disease and for this reason, once the diagnosis and treatment have been established, you must have a good follow-up with your ophthalmologist (generally at least every 6 months).
It is also essential not to suspend the prescribed treatment under any circumstances without medical indication. Being rigorous in treatment is key to keeping the disease at bay.
SMOKING
As explained to us by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there are numerous studies that demonstrate the relationship between tobacco use and the risk of glaucoma. Smoking directly affects the optic nerve, which is the one that connects the eye to the brain. We also found studies that confirm it as that of the Navarra School of Medicine, a reference centre, and leader in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases.
The Right Diet
It is advised as a potential glaucoma preventive measure to consume a diet high in vitamins, minerals, carotenoids and flavonoids, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
Specifically, consuming fresh vegetables and fruits, legumes, cereals, oily fish, and nuts are essential foods to prevent glaucoma and have an adequate diet. Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids will clearly help you reduce the risk of suffering from the disease.
Health insurance has helped in recent years with the prevention of eye diseases by committing to carry out the necessary reviews. That is why having health insurance is essential in the early detection of a disease that has no cure and in which prevention is essential.
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