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Increased intraocular pressure is one of the most common eye conditions. This occurs when the pressure of the fluid inside the eye (intraocular pressure) rises above normal levels. If untreated, this condition can lead to glaucoma, and in severe cases, permanent vision loss. Therefore, it's crucial to take action. Glaucoma is defined as elevated intraocular pressure without the loss of vision or damage to the optic nerve, unlike in glaucoma. An eye doctor can check for this condition during routine eye exams. Eye drops are often one of the first treatments for increased intraocular pressure, but unfortunately, they are not effective in all cases.
Steps
Adjust Diet and Lifestyle
Reduce Insulin Levels in the Body. Individuals who are obese, diabetic, or have high blood pressure often develop insulin resistance, which leads to the body producing even more insulin. High insulin levels are linked to increased intraocular pressure.
- To address this, patients are often advised to avoid foods that can cause a sudden spike in insulin levels. These foods include: sugar, whole grains, bread, pasta, rice, cereal grains, and potatoes.
Exercise for 30 minutes a day, most days of the week. Consult with your doctor before starting any workout regimen to ensure safety. Activities such as aerobics, jogging, brisk walking, cycling, and strength training, when practiced regularly, can help lower insulin levels in the body, thus preventing increased intraocular pressure.
Incorporate omega-3 fatty acids into your diet. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that helps maintain retinal function and prevents increased pressure in the eyes. To boost DHA levels, try to eat 2-3 servings of the following fish each week.
- DHA (and other omega-3 fatty acids) are found in cold-water fish such as salmon, tuna, sardines, herring, and shellfish.
Tip: Another way to supplement DHA is by taking fish oil capsules or DHA supplements derived from algae. For optimal results, you should take a standard fish oil capsule with a dose of 3,000 – 4,000mg daily, or consume algae-derived DHA supplements with a dose of 200mg/day.
Include foods rich in lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that act as antioxidants, protecting the body from free radicals. Free radicals weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of infections and damage to the optic nerves.
- Lutein and zeaxanthin also help reduce eye pressure by mitigating oxidative damage around the optic nerve. This is important because any damage to the optic nerve can raise intraocular pressure.
- Foods high in lutein and zeaxanthin include kale, spinach, collard greens, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and raw egg yolks. Try to include at least one of these foods in each main meal of the day.
Avoid trans fats. As mentioned earlier, omega-3 fatty acids help lower intraocular pressure. However, foods high in trans fats interfere with omega-3 activity and may lead to increased intraocular pressure. Therefore, you should limit your intake of foods rich in trans fats, some of which include:
- Packaged cookies, crackers, cakes, and other baked goods
- Fried foods
- Vegetable oils
Increase your intake of antioxidants. Dark-colored berries such as blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries can improve overall eye health by strengthening the capillaries that deliver nutrients to the optic nerves and eye muscles. The antioxidants in these berries enhance vascular health, reducing the risk of bleeding and damage to blood vessels.
- Try to consume at least one serving of dark berries daily.
- Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is an antioxidant used to prevent and treat certain eye disorders, including glaucoma and increased intraocular pressure. A typical dosage is 75 mg, taken twice a day.
- Blackberries are commonly used to enhance vision and prevent eye degeneration, including high intraocular pressure. Clinical studies on a product containing blackberries and pycnogenol (an extract from pine bark) have shown a reduction in intraocular pressure.
- Grape seed extract is also an effective antioxidant for relieving eye strain from bright light. It is often used to combat aging signs and improve night vision.
Limit or avoid caffeine. Consuming large amounts of caffeine can increase intraocular pressure, so it's advisable to consume caffeine-containing foods and beverages in moderation. Reduce your intake of coffee, tea, Coca-Cola, energy drinks, chocolate, and other caffeinated products. You may even consider eliminating these items for a month or more to observe whether they help lower intraocular pressure.
Take a daily multivitamin to ensure adequate nutrient intake. While there is no clear evidence that vitamins can prevent glaucoma, taking a daily multivitamin can be beneficial if you don't have a balanced diet. Look for vitamins that provide 100% of the daily recommended value for the following:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B-complex
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Zinc
Surgical options
Learn about surgical options for treating long-term increased intraocular pressure. If left untreated, increased intraocular pressure can damage the optic nerve, leading to glaucoma. Over time, this condition can result in vision loss. Glaucoma is typically treated with a combination of eye drops and oral medication. However, if these methods are ineffective, surgery may be necessary to lower intraocular pressure.
- Glaucoma surgery helps improve the flow of aqueous humor in the eye, thus lowering intraocular pressure. Sometimes, a single surgery is not sufficient to lower the pressure and treat glaucoma, requiring another procedure.
- There are several types of glaucoma surgeries, depending on the severity of the condition.
Consult with your doctor about drainage tube implantation surgery for severe cases. Drainage tube implantation is often used to treat glaucoma in children or patients with advanced glaucoma. In this procedure, a small tube is inserted into the eye to help drain aqueous humor. The pressure within the eye will decrease once the fluid is drained out.
Consider laser surgery as an alternative to eye drops. Laser surgery for glaucoma is a procedure that uses high-energy laser beams to open blocked drainage channels in the eye, allowing excess fluid to escape. This outpatient procedure is typically followed by regular eye pressure checks to ensure the surgery's success.
- Another form of laser surgery is iridotomy, used for patients with very narrow drainage angles in the eye. This procedure creates a small hole in the upper part of the iris to facilitate fluid drainage.
- If iridotomy is not effective, you may need peripheral iridectomy, a rarer surgery that involves removing a portion of the iris to improve drainage.
Discuss filtration surgery with an ophthalmic surgeon. Trabeculectomy is often considered a last-resort surgery for glaucoma if eye drops and laser treatments fail.
- During this procedure, the surgeon creates a hole in the sclera (the white part of the eye) and removes a small piece of tissue from the corneal base. This allows aqueous humor to drain, helping to reduce eye pressure.
- The surgery is performed on one eye initially, and if necessary, the other eye is treated after a few weeks. Additional treatment may be required if the drainage hole becomes blocked or closes.
Tip: Keep in mind that this surgery can sometimes fail due to the formation of scar tissue.
Practice relaxation exercises
Blink every 3-4 seconds. Relax and rejuvenate your eyes by consciously blinking every 3-4 seconds for 2 minutes at a time. You can use a clock to track the time if needed. This technique can help reduce eye pressure and prepare your eyes to process new information.
- We often forget to blink while working in front of a computer screen, watching TV, or gaming. This can cause additional strain on the eyes.
Place your palms over your eyes. Position your right hand over your right eye, with your fingers resting on your forehead and your palm touching your cheek. Do not press hard on your eye. Hold this position for 30 seconds to 1 minute, blinking comfortably during this time. Then remove your right hand and place your left hand over your left eye, repeating the process.
- This palm-over-eye technique helps relax both your eyes and mind, relieves stress, and allows comfortable blinking.
Imagine tracing a horizontal number 8 with your eyes. Visualize a large horizontal number 8 on the wall in front of you. Using just your eyes (without moving your head), trace the figure of the number 8. Continue this for 1-2 minutes. If it's hard to imagine the number 8, you can draw it on paper and stick it on the wall to follow.
- This exercise strengthens the eye muscles, enhances flexibility, and helps prevent eye strain and increased eye pressure.
Focus on objects both near and far. Sit in a comfortable, distraction-free space. Extend your thumb in front of you at a distance of about 25 cm, and focus on it for 10 seconds. Then shift your focus to an object about 3-6 meters away. Alternate between focusing on your thumb and the distant object for 1-2 minutes.
- This exercise enhances the strength of your eye muscles and improves overall vision.
Focus on your thumb moving closer and farther. Stretch your arm out in front of you and raise your thumb. Focus both eyes on your thumb, then slowly move it toward your eyes until it's about 8 cm away. Move your thumb back out again, maintaining focus with both eyes. Continue moving your thumb for 1-2 minutes.
- This exercise helps improve your focusing ability and strengthens your eye muscles.
Explore biofeedback therapy to lower eye pressure. With biofeedback therapy, you will learn how to control normal body processes, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. A biofeedback specialist can guide you through the correct techniques so that you can practice them independently.
Seek medical assistance
Consult an ophthalmologist for a diagnosis. Glaucoma is a challenging condition to diagnose because it doesn't have clear symptoms like redness or eye pain. It can't be diagnosed through a standard vision test, so you'll need to visit an eye doctor for a comprehensive eye examination. The ophthalmologist will use various methods to determine the presence of increased eye pressure.
- Intraocular pressure measurement: This test measures the pressure inside your eye to check whether it's within the normal range. The procedure involves numbing your eye and applying orange dye to help determine the eye pressure. A pressure gauge will be used to apply force to your eye. However, it's important to consider the thickness of your cornea, as people with thicker corneas may get falsely high readings.
- A pressure reading of 21 mmHg or higher indicates elevated intraocular pressure. It's rare for someone with a reading below 30 mmHg to develop glaucoma, but other factors, like head and eye trauma or blood accumulation behind the cornea, can affect the measurements.
- Air puff test: In this test, you'll be asked to look straight at a device while a technician shines a light into your eye. The device will release a puff of air, and a special instrument will measure the pressure by assessing how the light reflection changes when the air hits your eye.
Discuss potential causes of increased eye pressure with your doctor. Elevated intraocular pressure can be related to age and other factors. Many conditions can contribute to the development of glaucoma, including:
- Excessive aqueous humor production. Aqueous humor is a transparent fluid produced by the eye. It drains from the eye through a network of drainage channels. If too much fluid is produced, it can raise the pressure inside the eye.
- Poor drainage of aqueous humor. Inefficient drainage of aqueous humor can also lead to increased eye pressure.
- Certain medications. Some drugs, like steroids, can cause increased eye pressure, especially in individuals with other risk factors.
- Eye injury. Any irritation or damage to the eye can affect the balance between aqueous humor production and drainage, resulting in increased eye pressure.
- Other eye diseases. Elevated intraocular pressure is often associated with other eye conditions such as pseudoexfoliation syndrome, corneal edge degeneration, and pigment dispersion syndrome.
Recognize the risk factors for glaucoma. While anyone can develop elevated eye pressure, studies show that the following groups are at higher risk:
- People of African descent.
- Individuals over 40 years old.
- Those with a family history of glaucoma or cataracts.
- People with thinner central corneal thickness.
Warning
- Some types of fish recommended for boosting omega-3 fatty acids contain small amounts of mercury. However, when consumed in moderation, they pose no harm. Nonetheless, pregnant women or those planning to become pregnant should exercise caution and avoid consuming mackerel, bluefin tuna, swordfish, and sharks.
- If you are using eye drops to treat glaucoma, do not discontinue them without consulting your ophthalmologist.
