Our eyes ship info to our brains in a break up second, serving to us make essential choices to navigate the world round us. Glaucoma is a illness that damages the optic nerve — the communication “cable” between the eyes and mind.

Glaucoma Is a Main Reason for Blindness

There are nearly no early warning indicators, so many individuals don’t know they’ve glaucoma. That’s why it’s often called the sneak thief of sight. It’s the second main explanation for blindness on the earth and impacts greater than three million folks in the USA.

January is Glaucoma Consciousness Month, so it’s an essential time to be taught your dangers for creating this illness and what you are able to do to assist stop imaginative and prescient loss.

What causes glaucoma?

Open-angle (wide-angle) is the most typical sort of glaucoma. Over time, fluid slowly builds up within the entrance of the attention. If it doesn’t drain correctly, eye strain will increase, damaging the optic nerve. The principle signal of this sort of glaucoma is the lack of peripheral (or facet) imaginative and prescient. Folks usually don’t discover this imaginative and prescient loss till the illness is extra superior. There may be at present no remedy and no approach to reverse imaginative and prescient loss attributable to glaucoma.

What are the danger components for creating glaucoma?

Folks of all ages are in danger for creating glaucoma. In some uncommon instances, infants could be born with it. Sure individuals are at a larger danger than others, together with those that:

• Are age 60 or older
• Are Black, Asian, or Hispanic (Black folks usually develop it at a youthful age)
• Have a household historical past of glaucoma
• Have hypertension or diabetes
• Are nearsighted (capable of see issues clearly provided that they’re near the eyes)

Your eye form and the way a lot strain your optic nerve can stand up to are additionally components that contribute to your danger for creating glaucoma.

Can glaucoma be prevented?

There isn’t a approach to stop glaucoma, however there are methods to assist decelerate the development of the illness and cease it from damaging your eyes. The most effective methods is to get common dilated eye exams.

Such a examination opens your pupil, which lets the attention physician study the optic nerves in the back of your eyes and test the pressures in every eye. Your physician may help you perceive your private dangers for creating glaucoma and the way usually you need to get checked.

Eat Proper to Shield Your Eyesight

Consuming a weight loss plan wealthy in nutritional vitamins C, E, and A, and antioxidants like zinc is key to bettering eye well being. Embrace these energy meals in your each day menu:

• Oranges, berries, tomatoes, and peppers (vitamin C)
• Inexperienced leafy greens like spinach and kale, nuts, seafood, and avocado (vitamin E)
• Carrots, candy potatoes, and broccoli (vitamin A)
• Eggs, entire cereals, and lean meats like hen (zinc)

Along with weight loss plan, common train may help you keep a wholesome blood strain and defend your eyes towards harm that causes imaginative and prescient loss.

On the subject of your well being, it pays to maintain your eyes on the prize — years of seeing our stunning world clearly.

This text is informational and never meant to supply medical recommendation. Discuss to your physician about your private well being historical past and preventive care wants.