 I’m sure you’ve heard of glaucoma, but if not, here are the basics. Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerves of your eyes (that’s the nerve that connects your eye to your brain). It’s usually due to increased pressure in your eye. It can lead to permanent vision loss. What’s really scary is that the most common type of glaucoma has no symptoms other than slowly deteriorating vision. You think your vision just isn’t as good as it used to be because of your age, but really your optic nerves are slowly dying. And since you don’t think anything of it and don’t seek treatment, you can go blind in just a few years! But there is good news. You can lower your risk of glaucoma and the blindness that comes with it by a whopping 74 percent. How? A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology looked at data from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the U.S. The researchers compared the results of the participants’ eye tests for glaucoma against their drinking habits.By drinking a cup of hot tea. That’s the part of my bedtime routine that’s helping preserve my vision. They were asked how often and how much they drank caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks, including soft drinks and tea, over the preceding 12 months. Compared with those who didn’t drink hot tea every day, those who did had a lower glaucoma risk. After taking into account all potentially influential factors, like diabetes and smoking, hot tea-drinkers were 74 percent less likely to have glaucoma. I’ve never loved tea more! Why does tea have such an effect on your eyes? You might guess because of the caffeine, but it’s not that simple. Coffee and caffeinated soft drinks provided no reduction in glaucoma risk at all. According to the researchers, the answer lies in the fact that tea contains antioxidants as well as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective chemicals, which have been associated with a lowered risk of many serious conditions, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes. These antioxidants and protective chemicals could prevent the degeneration of your optic nerve that’s behind glaucoma. I love knowing that drinking a hot cup of tea each day is just one more tool I can use to fight to preserve my vision. Here are a few other ways to support your eye health: • Get moving — Regular exercise is vital in the battle against glaucoma. In fact, one study showed that people who get regular physical activity are 73 percent less likely to develop glaucoma. • Eat your veggies — Another study demonstrated that people who eat more green leafy vegetables are 20 to 30 percent less likely to develop the eye disease thanks to the nitrates in the veggies. • Take magnesium — Magnesium supplementation has been shown to have a protective affect against glaucoma thanks to its ability to increase circulation to your eyes. • Protect your eyes — Harmful blue light from devices like computers, tablets, televisions and smartphones can rob you of your vison. Protect your eyes from the damage caused by blue light by supplementing with 20 mg of lutein per day. My favorite source is Peak Vision Support™. It’s on sale right now, so it’s a great time to buy. |
