Glaucoma - Tips for eye protection

Do you often feel uncomfortable in your eyes? Sometimes it seems that it takes more effort to see things than usual? This is very likely related to glaucoma. Do you know about glaucoma? Do you know its special symptoms and risks?

Glaucoma patients experience headaches, eye pain, decreased vision, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms, which are relieved or disappear after rest or sleep. However, for this reason, the symptoms of glaucoma are often ignored, and some patients even think they have a cold, gastroenteritis and other diseases, thus delaying the best time for treatment.

People at high risk of glaucoma:

For example, patients with diabetes, hypertension, people over 40 years old with a family history of glaucoma, people with high myopia, people with hyperopia, etc., once they have symptoms such as nausea, dizziness, discomfort, and swelling and pain in the eyes, they must consider the possibility of glaucoma and seek medical attention in time.

What are the dangers of glaucoma?

1. Eye swelling and pain: When intraocular pressure rises, patients will experience uncomfortable symptoms such as eye swelling, eye pain, and headache, which seriously affect the patient's comfort and reduce the quality of life.

2. Decreased vision: Glaucoma can cause increased intraocular pressure, compress the optic nerve, and gradually damage the optic nerve fibers, which in turn causes decreased vision. In the early stages, vision may only be slightly blurred, but as the disease progresses, vision loss will become more and more obvious. If glaucoma is not treated promptly and effectively, it may eventually lead to blindness.

3. Limited daily activities: Decreased vision and visual field loss will seriously affect the patient's daily life. Simple actions such as going up and down stairs, crossing the road, cooking, etc. may become difficult and may even lead to accidents such as falls and collisions.

4. Increased psychological pressure: Due to vision problems, glaucoma patients may feel anxiety, depression, inferiority and other negative emotions, which seriously affect their mental health and reduce their quality of life.

★Long-term high intraocular pressure may also lead to eye complications such as corneal edema, iris atrophy, lens opacity, etc., further aggravating eye damage.

So how should we prevent glaucoma?

1. Keep warm: The cold will cause blood vessels to constrict and increase intraocular pressure. Dress well when going out, and pay special attention to protecting your head, neck and eyes, such as wearing a hat, scarf, etc. When you go from outdoors to indoors, don't rush to take off your glasses or eye masks, give your eyes time to adapt to the temperature difference to prevent a sudden increase in intraocular pressure.

2. Monitor intraocular pressure regularly: measure at least 1-2 times a month. Seek medical treatment promptly if abnormal; have regular follow-up examinations, check every 3-6 months, and bring along medical records to help doctors diagnose and adjust the plan. Seek medical attention immediately if you have eye swelling, pain, blurred vision, or other discomfort.

3. Adjust your lifestyle habits: maintain a regular work and rest schedule, sleep 7-8 hours every night to prevent intraocular pressure fluctuations due to staying up late and fatigue; look down at electronic devices less often to avoid eye fatigue; use a humidifier indoors, and use artificial tears appropriately to relieve dry eyes.

4. Reasonable diet: drink water in moderation, no more than 300 ml at a time, to prevent increased intraocular pressure; eat more fruits, vegetables and nuts containing vitamins C, E and carotene; eat less spicy and greasy food, and quit smoking and drinking.

5. Stabilize your emotions: Emotional fluctuations can increase intraocular pressure. You must learn to adjust and maintain a happy mood. Methods such as listening to music and reading can relieve stress.

6. Moderate exercise: Choose indoor aerobic exercises such as walking, jogging, yoga, etc. Avoid strenuous or prolonged bending and head exercises such as weightlifting and handstands. Control the intensity and duration of exercise to prevent excessive fatigue.

7. Eye exercise: Eye movement: Keep your head still and slowly move your eyes up, down, left, and right. Move each direction 5-10 times, and then move your eyes counterclockwise and clockwise for 5-10 circles each. This can exercise the extraocular muscles, promote blood circulation in the eyes, and enhance the regulatory ability of the eye muscles. Blinking exercise: Close your eyes gently, then blink slowly, with an interval of 2-3 seconds between each blink, and blink 20-30 times in a row. Blinking can evenly distribute tears on the eye surface, keep the eye surface moist, and prevent intraocular pressure fluctuations caused by dry eyes.

Glaucoma requires us to stay vigilant in daily life and start from many aspects, such as maintaining good eye habits, avoiding long periods of dark environments, controlling emotions, and regular eye examinations. Once diagnosed, patients should actively cooperate with treatment, strictly follow the doctor's orders for medication, follow up on time, and receive surgical intervention when necessary to effectively control intraocular pressure, slow down the progression of the disease, protect existing visual function as much as possible, reduce the impact of glaucoma on quality of life, and protect the light of the window to the soul.

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