A serious eye disease with no cure, glaucoma can result in permanent loss of vision. If left unchecked, blindness can result. The disease often arises without warning. It typically happens when internal eye (intraocular) pressure rises above safe levels, causing damage to the optic nerve and retina.

People with glaucoma should immediately adhere to their doctor’s prescribed treatment regimen, to slow or prevent further damage and loss of vision. To supplement this, however, there are some natural health and wellness methods that experts say can potentially help you get the most from your medical treatment.*

Basic Glaucoma Prevention Tips

There are basic lifestyle habits that people at risk of glaucoma can begin doing to lower their odds of eye disease and maximize overall health.

• Keep a healthy body weight. Risk of glaucoma can increase by being above or below a person’s recommended body mass index (BMI).
• Quit any smoking. Smoking is tied to increased risk of many serious eye conditions.
• Consider regular meditation. Meditation may help to lower internal eye pressure if done regularly, since stress has been linked to increased risk of elevated pressure.
• Maintain proper dental hygiene. Gum disease and tooth loss have been linked to increased risk of primary open-angle glaucoma.
• Get a glaucoma screening. This is especially important if glaucoma runs in your family.

Four (4) Ways to Optimize Glaucoma Treatment

Besides these basic strategies, there are four other areas of healthy living that can supplement medically prescribed glaucoma therapy to help your eyes get the most benefit. On their own, these methods cannot effectively treat the disease and will not cure glaucoma. There are no quick fixes to the disease. Any new treatment should be discussed with your doctor beforehand to ensure safety.

Eating healthily

Research has shown that healthy eating influences eye health and may even slow progression of glaucoma and other eye conditions.

• Fruits and vegetables high in vitamins A and C, as well as carotenoids appear to affect eye pressure and glaucoma incidence and progression. 
• Leafy greens such as kale, collard greens, spinach, and Brussels sprouts are essential to an eye-friendly diet.
• Antioxidants may also protect the optic nerve from further damage. Foods like cranberries, green and black tea, pomegranates, and acai berries provide antioxidants.

People with glaucoma are advised not to drink excessive amounts of coffee or other caffeinated beverages, since caffeine raises eye pressure.

Exercising regularly

Regular moderate exercise helps promote healthy eye pressure, since it improves blood flow throughout the body, including the eyes.

On the other hand, overly intense exercise can increase eye pressure, as can certain yoga positions such as:

• Headstands
• Downward-facing dog
• Legs up the wall
• Forward bends while standing 

Taking vitamin and mineral supplements

Vitamin and mineral supplements haven’t been proven to prevent or cure glaucoma, but there are certain ones that are beneficial to people with the disease:

• Zinc
• Magnesium
• Calcium
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B-complex
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E

You can take a daily multivitamin if you feel your dietary nutrition is inadequate.

Taking certain herbal supplements

Certain herbs have shown promise in research for aiding glaucoma treatment:

• Ginkgo biloba may improve blood flow to the eye.
• Bilberry has shown a decrease in retinal damage in mice, though no studies have yet produced this effect in humans.
• Forskolin eye drops may reduce eye pressure by decreasing fluid production in the eye.
• Medical marijuana (cannabis) may reduce eye pressure temporarily, but frequent use is needed that may have dangerous side effects. 

These herbs are not proven glaucoma therapies and should never be used in place of prescribed treatment.

*Barden, A. (2022, March). What are the most common natural remedies for glaucoma? All About Vision. https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/glaucoma-natural-remedies