In the hot summer, be alert to acute attacks of glaucoma!

Glaucoma is a group of diseases characterized by optic disc atrophy and depression, visual field defects and decreased vision. It is more common in middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old. Now is midsummer, and there are constant high temperature warnings. There are also many factors that induce acute attacks of glaucoma. Glaucoma patients should pay special attention to the following aspects.

1. Control your emotions

Hot weather can make people irritable, and depression and excessive excitement can cause ocular nerve and blood vessel regulation disorders, ciliary congestion, excessive aqueous humor, pupil dilation, increased intraocular pressure, and glaucoma attacks. Therefore, glaucoma patients should avoid excessive mental stress and maintain adequate sleep to promote the regulation of body functions, especially the central nervous system functions.

2. Avoid drinking a lot of water at one time

In the hot summer, glaucoma patients should drink small amounts of water frequently, because drinking too much water will increase the production of aqueous humor, leading to increased intraocular pressure. It is recommended not to drink more than 300 ml of water at a time.

3. Wear sunglasses with caution

Outdoors in the summer, ultraviolet rays are particularly strong. Wearing sunglasses to prevent ultraviolet rays from damaging the eyes is a good habit. However, this is not suitable for all glaucoma patients.

Li Fuhua, director of Tianjin University Aier Eye Hospital, said that if you suffer from primary angle-closure glaucoma and have not received surgical treatment, wearing sunglasses will put your eyes in a dark environment, which may aggravate the closure of the chamber angle and cause increased intraocular pressure. For this group of people, it is recommended to wear a sun hat or hold an umbrella to block ultraviolet rays. If you are not a patient with angle-closure glaucoma, or if you have undergone surgery and pupil block has been relieved, you can wear sunglasses.

4. The temperature of the air-conditioned room should not be too low

In addition to the effects of increased intraocular pressure, optic nerve damage caused by glaucoma is also related to blood circulation disorders in the retinal optic nerve. Air conditioning is almost indispensable for cooling down in midsummer. Glaucoma patients should pay attention to avoid the stimulation caused by excessive changes in ambient temperature, and the indoor air conditioning temperature should not be too low.