Glaucoma is a potentially, and very serious, threatening eye disease that can rob you of your ability to see. It is often called the 'sneak thief' of vision for a valid reason. For many people, years often pass with no noticeable affects of having glaucoma before a vision loss is finally noticed.

Glaucoma is a frightening eye disease that slowly, methodically, and inconspicuously damages the optic nerve, the main cable from the eye to the brain, that allows you to see.

Suddenly, a very precious gift, your eyesight, has been stolen. And, unfortunately, as in the case of glaucoma, there is no way to restore it again. This is an eye disease that is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the world.

It is estimated that nearly 67 million people worldwide are affected by this dangerous eye disease, and this is projected to exceed 80 million in the next 10 to 15 years. In the United States, according to 'Prevent Blindness America', more than 3 million people have glaucoma, and only half of them are even aware of it.

A recent survey conducted by the 'Lions Club', about 75 percent of glaucoma patients surveyed were not aware that their vision loss was a result of glaucoma until it was diagnosed by their doctors.

There are two main types of glaucoma, acute or closed-angle, and primary open-angle, both have similar symptoms. General symptoms that can be noticed are; loss of side vision, reduction of over-all vision, poor night vision, eye pressure pain, and a frequent need to upgrade or change eyeglass lens prescriptions.

Although this eye condition can occur in people with normal eye pressure, elevated eye pressure is the main risk factor signaling a glaucoma warning. This eye disease, however, appears to be more complicated than just having an elevated eye pressure alone.

The most common type of glaucoma is primary open-angle. It is usually detected early in a person's life, somewhere between the late 20's and early 30's. Those who wear eyeglasses, or contacts, usually schedule regular eye exams to determine if there is a need to change their prescription lenses. But, individuals who do not wear vision correction eye wear in their younger years may be those who are susceptible, over age 40, for developing this disease unawares.

There is also two other common causes of vision impairment, or loss, in those over 40, age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Reducing your risks of ever developing any of these three eye diseases, in the first place, can greatly be reduced with better lifestyle choices and healthier eating habits

Currently, the only widely accepted conventional treatment for lowering elevated eye pressure is with prescription eye drops. You will, most likely, not get any sort of objective information from your eye doctor on any other types of natural intervention options, as chemical drug treatments are all they have ever been taught to administer.

Age seems to be the single most important risk factor, out of many, for getting any of the three eye conditions mentioned above. Eye muscles, though, are no different than other muscles throughout your body, as they really do not just wear out prematurely. In all probability, they most likely begin to sag from lack of use, and a lack of regular proper daily nutrition. Processed foods, and sedentary lifestyles equals sagging muscle tone and poor muscle posture.

This is just as relevant to eye muscles, as well as other muscles throughout the entire body, in that the end results are limited vision capabilities.

Improving your body's daily dietary nutritional requirements, and adding regular physical fitness lifestyle changes are very beneficial to maintaining optimal eye health. Other natural alternative tools like eye muscle exercises and managing stress are proven techniques you can begin implementing now, to strengthen your vision in the near future.

You can protect, strengthen, and maintain your eye vision with improved lifestyle habits such as,

1.Reduce or eliminate your use of unhealthy polyunsaturated vegetable oils 2.Include a limited use of monounsaturated oils (olive oil), increase saturated fats (coconut oil), and increase omega-3 essential fatty acids (fish, flax, walnuts) 3.Increase antioxidant intakes with more fresh, raw, fruits and vegetables 4.Avoid all processed foods containing MSG preparations 5.Reduce or eliminate refined sugars, grains, and artificial sweeteners (big sight stealers) 6.Lead an active lifestyle, regular physical exercise lowers your risk by 70 percent of developing any type of degenerative eye condition 7.Increase your pure water intake, along with small amounts of unrefined salt, making water three-fourths of what you drink everyday

This last lifestyle tip helps lower blood pressure naturally, too. Although there is no conclusive evidence that links high blood pressure to glaucoma, those who do have this tendency to develop this eye condition, have a 30 percent likelihood of having high blood pressure as well.

In an excerpt from "Your Body's Many Cries For Water", by Dr. F. Batmanghelidj M.D., page 75, Dr. B. states, "It so happens, if we do not drink sufficient water, the only other way the body has to secure water is through the mechanism of keeping sodium (salt) in the body. Thus, keeping sodium in the body is a last resort way of retaining some water for it's 'shower head' filtered use".

Therefore, it makes a reasonable amount of sense, at least to me, that glaucoma, or the increased eye pressure associated with it, could be noticeably reduced with proper water and salt intakes.

A dear friend of mine, who has not developed full-blown glaucoma yet, and has not yet resorted to prescription eye drop treatment, has successfully lowered his eye pressure levels, just by increasing his daily water intake, and adding unrefined salt to his daily diet Even his eye doctor was pleasantly surprised, and so was my friend, with a lowered eye pressure reading. Imagine the implications of making only one dietary change, here. What are the possibilities of adding a few other natural alternatives to further compliment one another?

These strategies may, also, work well for you too, my friend, if you have been searching for more natural ways to lower your eye pressure readings. Certainly, it will not hurt to give any of them try.

Hopefully there are some natural tips you can use, here, that will help some of you gain more control in improving one of life's most precious gifts, your eye sight!