This thief of light must be guarded against!

Glaucoma is a general term for a class of diseases caused by various reasons that lead to excessive intraocular pressure and cause damage to the optic nerve.

In layman's terms, the pressure inside the eyeball is too high, exceeding the maximum limit that the various tissues inside the eyeball, especially the optic nerve, can withstand, causing decreased vision and a reduced visual range.

If the intraocular pressure is too high for a long time and compresses the optic nerve, it may even cause blindness, which is irreversible.

What are the early symptoms of glaucoma?

Symptoms of an acute glaucoma attack include:

1. Eye pain, possibly accompanied by headache and severe vomiting;

2. Discomfort in one eye, the eyeball feels harder than the other eye;

3. Iridescence phenomenon, when looking at a light source such as a light bulb, a rainbow-like halo may appear around it;

4. Vision decreases suddenly or gradually over a short period of time, and the range of vision gradually decreases.

In addition to the more obvious symptoms of acute glaucoma, chronic glaucoma usually has no obvious related symptoms in the early stage. In addition to occasional mild eye pain, the range of vision will gradually shrink. By the time it is discovered, the scope of visual loss is often large, affecting life, similar to looking through a tube, which we call tubular vision. At this time, central vision may still exist. As the range of vision further shrinks, there is a sharp loss of vision, or even blindness.

What are the common factors that trigger acute glaucoma attacks ?

Common triggering factors for acute glaucoma attacks include:

1. Bad living habits : overuse of eyes, fatigue, staying up late, continuously looking at mobile phones and other electronic products in a dark environment, and large emotional fluctuations such as anger, anxiety, sadness or even excessive joy.

2. High myopia : As the degree of myopia increases, especially for people with high myopia, the possibility of developing glaucoma is higher.

3. There are certain special structures in the eyeball : the anterior chamber of the eyeball is shallow, the lens is thick, and the eye axis is short, which can easily lead to narrow or even closed anterior chamber angle, or the angle structure itself is poorly developed, causing aqueous humor circulation disorders, thereby leading to increased intraocular pressure and the formation of glaucoma.

4. Heredity, such as parents or other immediate relatives are ill : the probability of developing the disease is higher with a family history than without a family history.

5. Age related : Primary glaucoma is the main type of glaucoma, which is divided into primary open-angle glaucoma and primary angle-closure glaucoma. The former can occur in any age group, while the latter is more common in people over 40 years old, with no gender difference.

What should patients with glaucoma eat?

01Dietary rules

Glaucoma patients should have a regular diet, avoid overeating, and eat slowly, which is beneficial for stabilizing the vascular, nervous and endocrine systems.

02 Eat a light diet

The visual impairment caused by glaucoma is mostly related to the blood supply to the optic nerve. Therefore, patients should have a light diet, avoid high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt foods, and eat less spicy, fried and other foods.

03Nutrition Matching

You should increase the intake of foods rich in crude fiber, eat more foods rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, etc., such as fresh vegetables, fruits, appropriate amounts of pork liver, fish, meat, coarse grains, vegetable oil, etc.; eat more foods that nourish the liver and kidneys, such as wolfberry, peanuts, walnuts, and soy milk.

04Appropriate intake of diuretic foods

If the blood sugar of glaucoma patients is normal, they can take honey, watermelon, loofah, etc., because these foods have diuretic effects.

Because the early symptoms of chronic glaucoma are atypical, patients can easily confuse them with eye fatigue, myopia , and head discomfort . Middle -aged and elderly patients may mistakenly think they have cataracts or that they are related to high blood pressure .

Also due to the atypical symptoms, most patients lack awareness of glaucoma. Once eye symptoms begin to appear and they realize that there is a problem with their eyes, the disease has already developed to the middle and late stages. At this time, the optic nerve has often atrophied and there is obvious visual field loss. The opportunity for early treatment is missed, resulting in irreversible visual field damage and affecting visual function.

The glaucoma specialist at the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University reminds you : It is recommended to have a comprehensive eye health examination at least once a year to screen for glaucoma or related high-risk eye factors, so as to achieve early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment. Let us work together to protect the eye health of every family member.