Glaucoma Prevention

Why I don't have glaucoma, even though it's common in my family.

by Mark Lamendola,
Lifetime eye owner

My grandfather had glaucoma. Even my mother's last two dogs had cataracts. But my eyes are so far from glaucoma risk, the disease is not even on my radar. Why is this?

The air puff test for glaucoma gives back a number that represents pressure. The higher that number, the more likely you are to have glaucoma. That pressure results from a clogging of a port in the eye. My eye pressure is way below normal.

Now, let's look at how I am beating glaucoma, so that you may do the same.

A diet low in saturated fats (not not necessarily low in fat) helps prevent the vascular constriction that leads to glaucoma. To protect your eyes, eat a diet low in fats that are saturated or   hydrogenated. Fats and oils are good for you, but saturated fats are not--they adhere to the walls of your blood vessels. Interestingly, unsaturated fats help scrub saturated fat-plaque from your blood vessels. So, a diet high in good oil sources  protects your eyes. Don't limit yourself to just flaxseed oil and fish. Dark green leafy vegetables are excellent sources of healthy fats--and a slew of other nutrients. Eat plenty of fresh kale, bok choy, mustard greens, spinach, and anything else that has green leaves. Avoid iceberg lettuce--it's nutrient-poor.

Of course, smoking is a major problem. It doesn't matter if you smoke directly (cigarette in your mouth) or indirectly (cigarette in someone else's mouth)--smoke is smoke and there is no mechanism that renders it harmful only to the person doing the smoking. If you value your eyesight, don't smoke or be smoked on.

Sugar is also a culprit. This list isn't very long, don't worry. But do limit the amount of sugar in your diet. This substance is responsible for a huge number of diseases of both body and mind--your body was never equipped to deal with the insulin rush caused by sugar.

Think of sugar as a diabetes pill--the more sugar you eat, the more likely you are to have diabetes.