Category: glaucoma

With it Glaucoma Awareness month. I want to spread as much awareness about this disease as I can. It’s a horrible disease and the general population need to know more about it.

If you are worried you may have it, you need to have a check up as soon as you can.

This video explains the steps behind the glaucoma exam – how I diagnose for it and determine whether or not you have it.

If you live in Fort Lauderdale, Miami or anywhere South Florida and think you may have it, please be in touch. Would love to give you an exam.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month and we need to do everything we can to increase awareness of this devastating illness.

If people were truly aware of how serious glaucoma is, they would be significantly more proactive in trying to prevent it.

Before a person knows they even have it, glaucoma can take up to 40% of their vision and that will never be coming back.

There is no cure for glaucoma – surgery and medication can treat it or slow it down but the vision you lose to it does not come back. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness

It accounts for around 10% of all blindness and does so damaging the optic nerve. This nerve is what connects the brain to the eye.

So what can you do about it? Do an annual eye-exam, especially once you hit 50 years of age.

In the last couple of days, there have been reports about a study that stated there could be a connection between drinking tea and preventing glaucoma.

So what exactly was the study?

It was the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 10,000 adults and children from 2005-2006.

Of these 1678 had an eye test for glaucoma of which 84 had it. These 84 were asked about the caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks they consumed and those who drank hot tea daily were found to be 74% less likely to have glaucoma.

What does one do with this data? Like anything, one should take it with a grain of salt – that is the study and not the tea.

The eyes are no different to the rest of the body and a healthy lifestyle will benefit them while the opposite is also true.

Working out doesn’t do anything per say to your eyes, but poor blood pressure and being overweight does.  Smoking is bad for your eyes. Not getting sufficient sleep is bad for your eyes.

The key to looking after your eyes is doing things that are consistent with a healthy lifestyle.

So drinking lots of water would be great for your eyes.  Drinking fresh juice is good for the eyes, but not too much due to the potential of excessive sugar. Obviously beer and alcohol are not good for the eyes.

If you are wise, you will look after your eyes!

Most glaucoma surgeries are done to relieve pressure inside the eye and, on average, they take 45 minutes to an hour to complete. You can normally return home a few hours after the operation, but you will not be able to drive yourself due to the effects of the medications used in the procedure. For at least one day, you will have to rely on your vision in one eye only, because your surgeon will place a patch over the operated eye to protect it. Although this patch is typically removed during a follow-up visit the next day, your vision in the affected eye will be blurred for several days or a few weeks.

During the recovery process, you should wear a form of eye protection at all times. Most of your regular activities can be resumed shortly after the procedure, but significant exertion such as running or jumping must be avoided. Further, you should not lift anything heavy for at least the first week after your surgery. While bathing, make sure you wear a shield to protect your eye and do not bend forward for any prolonged period of time. Avoid washing your face. Rather, gently remove matter from around your eye with a warm washcloth. In most cases, you will be able to return to work within a few weeks.