There was a time when patients would consider a nonprescription solution as a dismissal of their concern. There’s been a noticeable trend toward more natural treatment and prevention. Today perhaps the most frequently asked question by glaucoma suspects and sufferers is whether there is some lifestyle modification that can help their condition. While there is little scientific evidence to date, common sense would suggest a healthy diet and physical activity to be beneficial.
A recent study validates such thinking and suggests that patients who are physically fit reduce their IOP (eye pressure) and OPP (ocular perfusion pressure) fluctuations during highly demanding physical activity. However, sedentary patients who were confronted with immediate highly demanding exercise had greater IOP and OPP fluctuations (potential risk factors for progression). This suggests a continual benefit to being a high-fit individual in the battle against glaucoma progression. Low-fit patients who are looking to make a change should be encouraged to go slow, as an abrupt dive into high exertion exercise can perhaps initially do more harm than good.
This topic clearly needs more research, as the study had various limitations (only men were enrolled) but does validate the common sense “healthy living “and “slow and steady” approach to prevention.
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