Sight unseen: Here are tips to manage your glaucoma effectively

If you have glaucoma, never ever miss out on your doctor's appointment.

By: Debjani Arora | | Published: August 14, 2018 2:43 pm

If you or your loved one has been diagnosed with glaucoma know that it is an irreversible condition. It is a condition where the eye pressure or the intraocular pressure increases for no particular cause known till date, which over a period of time damages the eye nerves. There are no visible symptoms of glaucoma and so the condition is often diagnosed at an advanced stage where the damages done to the eye are grave and irreparable. If ignored this condition can also lead to permanent blindness, so it is necessary to be on track with medication and manage the condition well to reduce the chances of total vision loss. Here are a few ways in which you can manage glaucoma.

1. Never miss your medication: Remember with glaucoma you can never reverse the damage done to your eyes due to increase in intraocular pressure but you can reduce the risk of permanent blindness by taking your medications and eye drops on time. In fact, never miss out on them. Make those medications a part of your routine, have an alarm set for your doses if you tend to forget applying your drops or popping the pills on time. Eye pressure just like high blood pressure silently does the damage so take charge before it is too late.

If you miss on your dose then take it when you remember about it and then get back to your schedule. If you feel any kind of discomfort with your medications – irritation, reddening of eyes, etc – report the same to your doctor. Always keep your medications handy. Keep your eye drops, medications in your travel bag too so that you don’t miss out on them.

2. Inform your doctor and family members about your condition: Always inform your doctors (other than your ophthalmologist) about your condition. This will help them in prescribing treatments that won’t interfere with your glaucoma medications. Remember eye drops can interfere with other drugs.

3. Know your glaucoma: There are different kinds of glaucoma, know which one do you suffer from and get adequate information from your doctor or the support staff to know how to manage the same. Don’t just listen; make notes at your doctor’s clinic. It will help you to plan your life and daily schedules better.

4. Switch to a healthy lifestyle: Do things that will boost your eye health. Eat healthy foods, get enough exercise, avoid smoking, control caffeine addiction and staying at a healthy weight, yes these things can help in keeping your eyes healthy. Don’t rub your eyes too much even if the medications make them itchy. Lower your fluid and salt intake to reduce the pressure on the eyes. Make sure to do some relaxation exercises to relieve eye pressure.

5. Don’t miss out on your appointments: Be on dot with your doctor’s appointments. Since glaucoma doesn’t have a cure, it is essential for you to take your medications on time and check on the same with your doctor. Your doctor might have to titrate your doses, change medications and take note of how your eye pressure to make sure that you can live life to the fullest despite the vision problem.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published: August 14, 2018 2:43 pm

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