Eye Care Tips: 5 Serious Myths About Glaucoma Debunked

There are a lot of assumptions and myths out there regarding glaucoma. Expert bust a lot of them!

Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease eye caused commonly due to raised intraocular pressure (IOP) (pressure inside the eye). But it is a myth that this is the only cause of glaucoma. There is one type of glaucoma which presents without any raised eye pressure called Normal Tension Glaucoma. Many different things concerning what is beneficial and harmful for your eyes may have been said. However, are they real? It’s critical to distinguish reality from fantasy, particularly when discussing vision. The first step to preserving your vision for a lifetime is learning proper eye care techniques. Discover the truth about this and other widespread fallacies regarding eye health:

1.Myth: Spending too much time in front of the screen causes glaucoma

 Fact: Screen time has NO RELATION to glaucoma at all. Reading in low light won’t injure your eyes, but it might make your eyes tired.

2.Myth: It is a myth that glaucoma has specific symptoms.

Fact: Glaucoma comes with a few of the most common symptoms like watering or blurred vision and most of the time is completely asymptomatic. This is the reason why it is missed so commonly and is detected only in the late stages.

3. Myth: Another myth is that glaucoma only affects the elderly.

Fact: Some types of glaucoma are seen in young patients and a type of glaucoma called congenital glaucoma is seen even at birth. It may take years for certain potentially blinding eye conditions, such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy, to show up. They are damaging certain areas of the inner eye throughout this period, but the central vision may be unharmed.

4. Myth: Diabetes only affects the retina.

Fact: Just as diabetes affects almost all the organs of the body, it also affects almost all the parts of the eye. Although retinopathy and cataract are more common affect affections, patients having diabetes are at increased risk of glaucoma.

5. Myth: Glaucoma affects only one eye

Fact: Glaucoma is almost always bilateral one eye getting affected earlier than the other.
Glaucoma creeps silently into our eyes depriving us of our eyesight slowly and imperceptibly. So, regular screening for glaucoma after the age of 40 or earlier in case of a family history of the disease is absolutely essential.

A balanced diet and regular exercise are examples of healthy lifestyle practices that may help avoid many chronic diseases, including eye disorders. Consuming sufficient amounts of the nutrients mentioned above may help lower your risk. The health of the eyes may also be affected by other vitamins. Don’t disregard the rest of your body, though. A diet that maintains the health of your entire body will probably do the same for your eyes.

(Inputs from Dr Preeti Choudhary, Ophthalmologist, SRV Hospitals)