January is National Glaucoma Month, and a perfect time for dispelling some of the common myths surrounding the disease. The National Institutes of Health reports that there are roughly two million people who currently have glaucoma in America, and that number is expected to rise to three million by 2020. The disease impacts so many people, yet there continues to be many myths and misinformation regarding the best way to prevent and treat it.
“It’s a shame that so many people live a life of compromised quality due to glaucoma, when they clearly do not have to,” explains Dr. Edward Kondrot, founder of the Healing The Eye & Wellness Center. “People continue to do so because of all the incorrect information that is perpetuated. The myths need to be put to rest once and for all.”
Glaucoma is a disease that has such symptoms as the person seeing halos at night, blurred vision, headaches, loss of peripheral vision, and some people having not symptoms at all. The black areas of the eye are where there has been a loss of vision. Normal eyes have white areas, providing good vision. The dark areas create a normal blind spot in the eye.
The myths surrounding glaucoma include the idea that nothing can be done about it, those who have it must take eye drops, and that people must get surgery for it. None of this information, according to Dr. Kondrot, is substantiated and is actually leading to lasting problems and worsening eye conditions. Glaucoma is a disease that causes a loss of optic nerve function and is not always related to elevated pressure. He recommends that people can prevent the disease by taking measures to protect and improve the function of the optic nerve, such as:
- Eating a diet that consists of at least 70 percent organic raw foods. Organic food has more nutrition and lower amounts of toxins, such as preservatives and pesticides. Heat destroys the protein structures and causes a loss in amino acids, as well as loss in digestive enzymes.
- Certain foods, such as high fructose corn syrup and aspartame should always be avoided. Both of these can be toxic to the optic nerve
- Staying properly hydrated with drinking plenty of water. This will help to remove toxins from the body
- Making sure to get enough chromium in the diet. Not getting enough chromium in the diet can lead to a decrease of glucose in the ciliary muscles, which can cause an elevation of the eye pressure. Chromium is found in foods high in calories, eggs, molasses, red wine and grapes, and the fat in red meat.
- Exercise regularly, as it will help improve overall vascular health and blood flow to the optic nerve, and helps lower the eye pressure.
- Consider the therapy called Microcurrent, which is a weak electrical stimulation that improves blood flow, reduces inflammation, and stimulates cellular activity.
- Undergoing chelation therapy, which Dr. Kondrot performs, will remove heavy metals from the body, which are very toxic to the optic nerve. Chelation therapy will also help improve blood flow to the optic nerve.
“With all that we know today there is no reason to have compromised vision from glaucoma,” adds Dr. Kondrot. “There are also no reasons to allow the myths of glaucoma to scare you into surgery or other eye drops. There is prevention and safer alternatives to addressing the situation. In my experience, when you take these steps you will see an improvement of your vision.”
Dr. Kondrot is the author of three best-selling books, including “10 Essentials to Save Your Sight” (Advantage Media Group, July 2012), and president of the Arizona Homeopathic and Integrative Medical Association. He has founded the Healing The Eye & Wellness Center, located just north of Tampa, Fla., which offers alternative and homeopathic routes to vision therapies known as the “Kondrot Program.” The program focuses on such conditions as macular degeneration, glaucoma, dry eye, cataracts, and others. His advanced programs have helped people from around the world restore their vision. The center sits on 50 acres of land and features a 14,000-square-foot state-of-the art complex, an organic ranch, jogging trails, swimming pool, hot tub, and more. For more information, visit www.healingtheeye.com.