Glaucoma is a disease in your eyes that can do damage to the optic nerves when fluid gathers in front of your eye and causes pressure to build up. The eye then starts to take on damage to the optic nerves because of the pressure build up. While home remedies for glaucoma cannot cure the condition entirely, it can treat the symptoms.

Glaucoma starts out as painless but as the pressure continues to build, it can cause some pain or discomfort. If you have more sensitive eyes than usual, then your chances of getting glaucoma can be higher than the average person’s chances.

 

Symptoms

There are two different kinds of glaucoma, and for the most part, the is very little difference. However, one of the differences are the symptoms. If you have Open-Angle Glaucoma, you can expect your eyes to have trouble adjusting to different light settings, narrow peripheral vision, tunnel vision, and weak headaches.

If you have Closed-Angle Glaucoma, then you might have trouble with swollen eyelids, nausea, loss vision and blindness, swollen and watery red eyes, pain on just one eye, and vision disturbances. If you find yourself to be having a couple of symptoms from either kind, talk to your eye doctor.

 

Home Remedies for Glaucoma Symptoms

1. Change Sleep Position

Elevating your head when you sleep can do more for you than you might expect. Keeping your head raised to about 20 degrees and lessen the amount of the pressure that builds up in your eye while sleeping flat on your back.

 

2. Less Caffeine

Studies have found that drinking too much caffeine can get the blood flowing too quickly which means the fluid build up more quickly and cause more pressure in your eyes due to glaucoma. So try cutting back on the caffeine at least a little it.

 

3. Relax

Stress is never good for your body, and this time is no exception. Stress can trigger different symptoms that come with glaucoma. So try some meditation or some yoga and see if that helps you to stress a bit less.   

4. What to Eat

There are different kinds of foods that you can eat that can help to calm some of the symptoms of glaucoma. Foods to enjoy are sesame oils, leafy greens, cold water fish, safflower, fresh fruits and veggies (especially red, yellow, and orange ones), and grass-fed meat.

5. What Not to Eat

Like there are foods that can help glaucoma, there are also foods that can make it worse. Foods like that are. alcohol, foods you are allergic to, and processed foods and sugars.

 

6. Vitamin C

Vitamin C has been found to lessen the pressure in the eye and stop it from rising more. It is suggested that you take 2,000 mg of the vitamin a day. However, if your body is not used to the much vitamin C, you may want to slowly introduce it to your body to avoid laxative effects. By taking 2,000mg of a vitamin C day, the pressure in your eye should decrease by about 16mm Hg.

 

7. Magnesium

Magnesium encourages a healthier blood flow by causing your blood vessels to relax. You can take magnesium in pills, capsules, or you just rub it into your skin through oils, lotions, and gels. Because of the relaxing effect that magnesium has on your blood vessels, it also helps the health of your cardiovascular system.

8. Alpha Lipoic Acid

Taking 100 mg of alpha lipoic acid helps your eyes to have less pressure built up in them by fighting away the free radicals while also keeping the flexible and supple aspects of your eyes’ soft tissue.

 

9. Chromium

People with diabetes, hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and other health issues connected to blood sugar levels are even more likely to have eye issues like glaucoma. Taking 250-500 mg of chromium can do wonders for regulating your blood sugar and keeping eye pressure level as well.  

 

10. Bilberry Extract

Bilberry extract is packed full of anthocyanins that can help with. DNA repairing, glaucoma, gene expression, blood flow to the eye, cell-signaling pathways, cataracts, and macular degeneration. So try talking 160 mg of a 25 percent anthocyanosides extract twice a day.

11. Massage

Having tension in the upper back, neck, and shoulders can cause the tension to spread up even further and cause more pressure in the eyes while also messing with blood circulation which can make the pressure worse even still. So try a massage, whether you, a friend, or professional do it, to see if it will help you.

 

12. Avoid Smoking

This includes second hand as well. Smoking can make the circulation all over your body worse. The chemicals in the tobacco can damage the retina and increase the pressure more. So if you smoke or your partner does, it might be in your best interest to drop the habit.

13. Avoid Eye Strain

Straining the eye more than you have to can make glaucoma worse. So to avoid this and added headaches, do not watch TV in the dark, spend too much at a computer, read for too long or in poor lighting, and make sure to take breaks so your eyes can rest.

 

14. Ginkgo Biloba

This tree- while being one of the oldest known- is used for relieving glaucoma because of its powers in promoting the circulation of your blood, keeping glucose metabolism on point, maintaining tone and function of blood vessels, and making the capillaries stronger.

 

15. Ashwagandha

This is an Indian herb that can do amazing things for calming stress, helping vitality and other forms of regeneration. It also fights mitochondrial dysfunction. Though the note about keeping stress down is important the mitochondrial dysfunction is even more important because it can rid your eyes of protective nerve layers and let glaucoma do more damage.

16. Exercise Carefully

Too much exercise can make your glaucoma a bit worse, but that does not mean that you have to move. Instead of doing your usual weightlifting, try lighter things like swimming, walking, or even yard work and yoga.

 

17. Protect Your Eyes

Squinting or just your eyes taking in too much sun can make your glaucoma worse and cause headaches. So if you know you are going to be outside for a long while, wear eye protection like sunglasses, sun hats, or even just a baseball cap with a brim.

18. Lower Insulin Levels

Insulin levels can cause a kind of chain reaction. Your insulin levels go up, so does your blood pressure and your blood pressure being higher can cause the pressure in your eyes to go up which can affect your glaucoma. This is why people with weight problems, high blood pressure, and diabetes seem to have more eye troubles than other people.

To keep your insulin levels from spiking, there are two food groups you try to have a bit less of. The main one being sugars and the other one being different kinds of grains. The grains that have the most carbs are breads, cereal, and pasta. It is also advised to cut down on rice and potatoes. This does not mean to completely cut these foods from your diet, but to have portion control when eating them.

 

19. Essential Oils

There are varying kinds of essential oils that can help to strengthen your eyes both in seeing and in against glaucoma. You might want to look into trying aromatherapy with the oils of frankincense (helps with eyesight), cypress (helps circulation), and helichrysum (supports nerve tissue, strengths eyesight).      

 

20. Yoga

Doing yoga, whether you take a class or follow along with videos at home, can improve your circulation and stop tension from building up in the neck and shoulders. So try doing some yoga in the morning, before bed, or to cool down or warm up for some exercise.

As mentioned above, if you think that you have glaucoma, you should go to your doctor. Untreated glaucoma can result in blindness and cannot be cured at home. This article holds tips that can help to lessen it and ease some discomfort, but they will not completely get rid of the issue.

Sources

https://www.onlymyhealth.com/how-to-treat-glaucoma-naturally-1386850913

https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/8-natural-treatments-for-glaucoma-in-dogs/

 

https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/31/six-natural-strategies-to-stop-glaucoma-from-robbing-you-blind.aspx

https://www.brightfocus.org/glaucoma/prevention-and-risk-factors

https://www.healingtheeye.com/glaucoma-natural-remedies/

https://www.holistichealthherbalist.com/best-remedies-treating-glaucoma-naturally/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glaucoma/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20372846

https://www.glaucoma.org/gleams/what-are-the-symptoms-of-glaucoma.php

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-glaucoma

Glaucoma picture from the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center.