Glaucoma Research
Diet & Lifestyle
Nutrition
& Glaucoma
Naturopaths have stated for years that glaucoma, like
cataract, is a response to 'a highly toxic condition of the system due to wrong feeding
habits and general unhealthy living, plus suppressive medications for a previous disease
(1). This postulate has recently been given scientific credence as, according to
statistical data from the World Health Organisation, most cases of cataract and glaucoma
throughout the third world stem from poor diet and lack of hygiene. There are
approximately 50 million people in the world who have a vision of 20/200 (6/60) or less;
85% of these live in Asia and Africa. Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in
underdeveloped countries and glaucoma is the second major cause. The W.H.O. reported that
25% of blindness could be prevented by surgery and improved hygiene and nutrition.
(2)
Naturopaths and nutritionists therefore recommend a
cleansing diet with plenty of fresh, raw vegetables, salads and fruits,
wholegrains,
pulses and nuts but with little or no meat, fish or dairy products.
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Coffee & Tea
& Glaucoma
Research has shown (3) that the caffeine content in tea and
coffee can raise the intraocular pressure (pressure within the eyeball) and should
therefore be avoided by patients with glaucoma.
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Stress
& Glaucoma
Researchers have reported that stress may play a significant
part in the precipitation of acute closed-angle glaucoma because intraocular pressure
(IOP) can be affected by the emotional state of a patient. (see Yoga & Meditation
section)
Footnotes
(1) H Benjamin - Better Sight Without Glasses p100
(2) Blindness in the world: nursing experience in Nepal. Arseneault R J Ophthalmic Nurs
Technol (UNITED STATES) Nov-Dec 1992, 11 (6) p241-6
(3) The effect of caffeine on intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients Higginbotham
EJ; Kilimanjaro HA; Wilensky JT; Batenhorst RL; Hermann D UIC Eye Center, University of
Illinois, College of Medicine, Chicago 60612. Ophthalmology May 1989, 96 (5) p624-6.
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