Prevention - Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Disorders

Prevention

If diagnosed promptly, the eye pressure which causes glaucoma can be stabilized and future glaucoma can be prevented. An important aspect of holistic treatment is testing patients to determine what type of glaucoma they have and whether they are taking prescription medications for other disorders which may increase their risk of glaucoma. According to Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide , more than 90 medications, including antihypertensives, steroids, and antidepressants, can lead to glaucoma if used over a prolonged period of time.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapies.     Vitamin C supplements and foods which contain bioflavonoid compounds may help prevent glaucoma by protecting the optic nerves from free radical damage. Vitamin, mineral, or botanical treatments have not been shown to be effective in treating acute forms of glaucoma, however, and eye damage caused by glaucoma usually cannot be reversed.

Botanical Medicines.     James Balch and Phyllis Balch cite several botanical medicines in Prescription for Nutritional Healing which effectively relieve glaucoma. They suggest that rutin helps reduce inner eye pressure when used in conjunction with standard drugs. They also recommend warm fennel herb eye baths, alternated with chamomile and eyebright, as helpful in relieving the pain which accompanies glaucoma. No clinical trials on the effectiveness of these botanical medicines have been reported.

Traditional Chinese Medicine.     Dr. Maoshing Nireports in Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide that acupuncture and herbs can relieve both cataracts and glaucoma. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs can significantly decrease the interocullar pressure associated with glaucoma, which allows patients to reduce the amount of medications they are taking or even postpone surgery. Ni also notes that Forskolin, a drug extracted from the coleus plant, has been used successfully at Yale University to relieve glaucoma without side effects.

Biofeedback.     Dr. Steve Fahrion, director of the Center for Applied Psychophysiology at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas, cites several studies in Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide which suggest that biofeedback can relax the forehead muscles and help reduce the pressure on the eyeball caused by glaucoma. One technique involves placing electrodes on the forehead which allow patients to monitor their own stress levels and stimulate the relaxation response.

Eye Drops.     Although the eye damage caused by glaucoma usually cannot be reversed, it can be controlled with special eye drops, pills, and surgery to prevent further damage. Patients with minor chronic open-angle glaucoma can recover some visual abilities if their condition is detected early enough and they begin using eye drops. Eye drops prescribed by an ophthalmologist are usually administered two to four times daily along with prescription pills. These medications decrease eye pressure either by assisting the flow of fluid out of the eye or by decreasing the amount of fluid entering the eye.

Surgery.     Simeon Margolis reports in The Johns Hopkins Medical Handbook that surgery is the only treatment for acute angle-closure and congenital glaucoma, as it is the only way that blocked or incorrectly formed drainage canals of the eye can be opened up. Laser surgery, the least painful and invasive surgical procedure, uses a laser beam of light to burn an opening in the iris and open the eye's drainage canals.