In order to reduce your risk factors for developing glaucoma, you first need to be aware of what the risk factors are. It’s almost like needing credit to get credit, except in this case, we are talking about your eye health.
Risk factors for glaucoma include:
- Family history
- High eye pressure
- Thin corneas
Age and ethnicity are all factors. For those of Mexican-American descent, your risk increases at the age of 60. In addition, African-Americans have an increased risk of developing glaucoma once they reach 40. Talk to your doctor at Stahl Eyecare Experts for information on prescription eye drops that may help reduce your risk factor for glaucoma by half!
Other risk factors include:
- Diabetes
- Eye surgery
- Eye injury
- High blood pressure
- Very severe nearsightedness
- Use of corticosteroids including creams, inhalers, eye drops, and pills
Now, let’s talk about prevention and lowering your risk for developing glaucoma. Medical experts recommend a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a nutritious diet for those who are at risk of developing glaucoma. Following a healthy lifestyle not only helps to reduce your risk but also offers the benefit of improving your overall physical and mental health, as these are also very important issues to address.
Tips for improving your overall well-being include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight for your body
- Not smoking
- Make plans to quit smoking with the help of your doctor if you’re already a smoker
- Monitoring your blood pressure to keep it within normal levels
- Staying on top of managing other medical conditions with the help of your doctor
- Regular physical activity such as walking, bike riding, swimming, and jogging
- Limiting caffeine intake as research does suggest high amounts of caffeine may be a factor in increased eye pressure
- Staying on top of your regular eye exams
- Talking to your doctor as soon as possible about any vision changes you may notice
- Wearing UVB sunglasses and sun hats to prevent overexposure to sunlight when you’re outside
You also can benefit from including “vision” rich foods in your regular diet!
These foods include:
- Foods that contain carotenoids, which may help your body in preventing various medical conditions, including glaucoma. These foods include things like dark green, orange, and yellow vegetables and fruits.
- Dark leafy greens such as spinach, collard greens, brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, and more! These foods contain lutein and zeaxanthin, which are essential for vision health. Other foods containing lutein and zeaxanthin: egg yolks, orange bell peppers, kale, and lima beans.
- Vitamin C does a body good, and it does plenty of good when it comes to your eyes. To keep your vitamin C levels up, make sure to include citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, green peppers, and cantaloupe in your diet. Other foods high in vitamin C include sweet and white potatoes. broccoli, and leafy greens.
- Zinc-containing foods are another great option to boost your eye health that can help reduce your risk for glaucoma. Poultry, red meat, nuts, dairy products, and certain seafood like oysters all are high in zinc.
Glaucoma Treatment Long Island
Ready to get serious about reducing your risks for glaucoma and other eye conditions? Schedule an appointment with one of our talented doctors at Stahl Eyecare Experts! With locations conveniently situated in Garden City, Manhattan, and Hauppauge, Stahl is ready to help no matter where you are!
