Texoma Living Well Magazine March/April 2018 | Page 50

Marijuana?
Yoga? Kale?
Surprising Myths
about Glaucoma
Courtesy Key-Whitman Eye Center
O
Glaucoma.
ne of the lead-
ing causes of
preventable
blindness in
the world is
Fortunately, when glaucoma is diag-
nosed and treated early, vision loss
can be prevented. A healthy diet and
exercise can also help; however, some
myths regarding certain lifestyle choic-
es can be more harmful than benefi-
cial.
Key-Whitman Eye Center’s Arlington
ophthalmologist Ronald M. Barke
shared his insight on what people
should and shouldn’t do when it comes
to managing glaucoma. Here are
some of his recommendations:
DO see your eye doctor regu-
larly if you’re at increased risk
for glaucoma.
According to Dr. Barke, age is the most
important risk factor for glaucoma, but
it isn’t the only one. As he explains,
“Family history certainly plays a role,
as do certain medical conditions, in-
cluding diabetes, cardiovascular dis-
ease, hypertension and rheumatologic
conditions. Unhealthy eating, poor
exercise habits and some certain life-
style choices can also contribute to the
disease.”
If you’re at risk, it’s very important to
have an eye doctor regularly monitor
the health of the eye, because glau-
coma is a silent disease. The only way
to find out if you have glaucoma is
through an eye exam.
48
“Glaucoma is a condition where dam-
age occurs to the optic nerve in the
back of the eyes, primarily due to pres-
sure to the optic nerve. However, glau-
coma is similar to blood pressure, in
that you can’t feel the pressure. So, by
the time you start losing vision, and no-
tice you have a problem, it’s too late,”
Dr. Barke says.
DON’T smoke marijuana.
Roseanne Barr and Whoopi Goldberg
and other celebrities have touted the
use of marijuana for their glaucoma
treatment. But Dr. Barke says, not so
fast.
As he explains, “One of the theories
as to why some people’s glaucoma
progresses is because they have wide
fluctuations in intraocular pressure
throughout the day and from day to
day. If you use a treatment that low-
ers pressure for a short duration, as
marijuana does, your pressure could
rebound right back up, and that could
make the glaucoma worse.”
DO eat right.
It’s common knowledge that eating
healthy food is good for you, and
current studies suggest eating certain
foods can lower the risk for glauco-
ma by as much as 20 to 30 percent.
“Foods like leafy greens that are plenti-
TEXOMA AREA Living Well Magazine | MARCH/APRIL 2018
ful in antioxidants and healthy dietary
nitrates may help deter glaucoma,”
says Dr. Barke.
DO keep moving.
As with other health conditions, an
active lifestyle can reduce the risk of
glaucoma for some people. In fact,
researchers at the University of Cali-
fornia Los Angeles who reviewed long-
term data on American adults found
that, “the most physically active folks
were 73 percent less likely to develop
glaucoma than the least active individ-
uals. For each 10-minute increase in
moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
a week, the risk of glaucoma fell by
25 percent.”
DON’T do yoga or
inversion therapy.
Yoga offers many health benefits and
inversion therapy – hanging upside
down by the ankles or feet – can do
wonders for the back. “Unfortunately,
people with glaucoma should avoid
activities that cause blood to rush to
the head and increase pressure in the
eyes, which is bad for glaucoma,”
warns Dr. Barke.
If you’re at risk for glaucoma, we can
help.
As with most eye diseases and condi-
tions, early diagnosis and treatment of