Imagine you lost your sight today. What could you miss the most? Over 3 million Americans are affected by glaucoma and risk losing sight if they don’t get treatment immediately. Fortunately, glaucoma is manageable. With our glaucoma San Antonio treatments, you can be sure that your vision will remain intact. Despite half of the people not realizing they have glaucoma, taking effective measures to prevent and manage it is their only option.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage your optic nerve, which is crucial for good vision. The damage is mainly caused by high pressure in your eyes. Glaucoma can destroy your sight if not urgently treated.
How can I prevent glaucoma?
Since the disease has no painful symptoms, you can be affected without notice, and understanding what to do will put you on the safer side. Let’s run through some tips that will safeguard your sight.
- Manage your blood pressure
Glaucoma is caused by excess eye pressure related to high blood pressure. Due to the high pressure, the blood vessels in your eye are damaged, hindering blood flow in the eye. Again, if your blood pressure is low, blood has difficulties reaching your eye, eventually leading to glaucoma.
Exercising, controlling stress, and eating healthy will help manage your blood pressure levels.
- Eat well to see well
Eating a nutritious meal will help maintain a healthy weight, manage blood pressure, and improve overall health. Fruits and vegetables are a source of vitamins A and C, as well as lutein and zeaxanthin. These minerals protect against oxidative stress, which damages the optic nerve causing glaucoma.
Eat plenty of whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables.
- Wear protective eyewear
External eye injuries can also cause glaucoma. Protect your eyes from the sun since direct UV light weakens the optic nerve, thus causing glaucoma. Wear quality sunglasses when exploring outdoors or engaging in activities that can cause eye injuries.
- Limit your caffeine intake
Consuming large amounts of caffeine beverages increases the production of eye fluids like aqueous humor. When the eye fluid volume increases, so does your eye pressure. This pressure affects the optic nerve resulting in glaucoma.
Limit your caffeine intake and instead replace it with drinking plenty of water.
- Get regular comprehensive eye exams
Regular dilated eye exams will help you detect glaucoma in its early stages before severe damage occurs. The check-ups will allow the ophthalmologist to check your eye pressure and the optic nerve’s operation. Even if you don’t feel or realize any symptoms, the disease could be formed, and only a specialized eye doctor can detect it.
Typically, you can’t reverse the damage caused by glaucoma, but you can slow or stop it with the help of Alamo eye care. Our specialized team conducts an eye exam to analyze the cause of glaucoma and offers the best treatment method. Eye drop helps relieve pressure while laser surgery drains eye fluid, sustaining your eye’s health.
If you want to maintain your eyesight, consider contacting Alamo Eye Care in San Antonio, Texas.