Eye diseases often strike as you are getting older. After all, your eyes have been around a bit, seen a lot, and have been given a lot of pressure'by you! When it comes down to it, glaucoma is all about pressure in fact. The kind of pressure that influences the shape of your eyeball so you can see properly. Here are some of the preventative things you can do if you are worried about glaucoma symptoms, including taking a glaucoma diet specially designed to improve your eyesight and eye health, and some glaucoma medications and treatments you should consider if you already have glaucoma symptoms.

How do glaucoma symptoms manifest themselves?

A layer of cells behind the iris produces a watery fluid, called aqueous. The fluid passes through a hole in the centre of the iris, called the pupil, to leave the eye through tiny drainage channels. These are in the angle between the front of the eye and the iris and return the fluid to the blood stream. Normally the fluid produced is balanced by the fluid draining out, but if it cannot escape, or too much is produced, then your eye pressure will rise. If the optic nerve comes under too much pressure then it can be injured. How much damage there is will depend on how much pressure there is and how long it has lasted, and whether there is a poor blood supply or other weakness of the optic nerve. A really high pressure will damage the optic nerve immediately. A lower level of pressure can cause damage more slowly, and then you would gradually lose your sight if it is not treated.

Glaucoma medication and treatment

You should get yourself tested for glaucoma symptoms and be prepared for glaucoma medications, especially after the age of 40. You should also consider a diet geared towards glaucoma prevention, especially if you have glaucoma in your family. The main treatment for chronic glaucoma aims to reduce the pressure in your eye. Some treatments also aim to improve the blood supply to the optic nerve. You will need to go to hospital for treatment and have regular check-ups afterwards. Glaucoma medication to lower the pressure is usually started with eyedrops. These act by reducing the amount of fluid produced in the eye or by opening up the drainage channels so that excess liquid can drain away. If this does not help, your doctor will suggest either laser treatment or an operation called a trabeculectomy to improve the drainage of fluids from your eye. This glaucoma treatment is standard but should be considered in the light of natural eye healthy practices. Glaucoma diets must include plenty of fruit and vegetables. Vitamin C is particularly favored as a part of a required glaucoma diet.