How effectively can glaucoma be treated with Homeopathic constitutional treatment?

Homeopathic article by Dr. Sunitha Devi Vannemreddy M.D (Hom),drsunithavannemreddy@gmail.com

Glaucoma is the disease of Eye, is one of the important sensory organs and for vision. The eye is a complex organ with retina, sclera, iris, aqueous humour and vitreous humour and connected to the brain with the optic nerve. Structure of eye is well protected with eyelids in the socket of the skull. It is one of the sense organs in the human body. There are different disease associated with the eye and optic nerve which impact on the eyesight.  

Sometimes, the person identifies the alteration in the vision, poor visibility which made them visit the doctor. After the thorough examination, the doctor declares that poor visibility due to Glaucoma. So what is glaucoma? How does it develop? All are questions and here is the answer for glaucoma and its treatment with Homeopathy.   Glaucoma is an ocular disorder that results in damage to optic nerve, associated with increased fluid pressure in the

eye, i.e. intraocular pressure (IOP). It affects the vision, first loss of peripheral vision leading to permanent loss of vision, if untreated. Glaucoma often called as “silent thief of sight” because the loss of vision often occurs gradually over the period of time and symptoms only occurred when the disease is quite advance. It is irreversible phenomena, i.e. once vision is impaired it cannot be recovered. So that treatment will be to save optic nerve from further damage. In modern treatment, further prevention is possible that the vision recovery. Glaucoma is a second leading cause of blindness, after cataract.     Glaucoma mostly affects in older people than younger, above 50 years of age. If the condition is detected early, it is possible to arrest the development or slow the progression of medical and surgical therapies.

Types of glaucoma:

The disorder can be roughly divided into, “open-angle glaucoma” and “closed-angle glaucoma”.

Open-angle glaucoma – it is painless, tend to develop slowly over the time and often has no symptoms until the disease progressed significantly.

Closed-angle glaucoma – it is characterized by sudden eye pain, redness, nausea and vomiting and other symptoms resulting from the sudden increase in the intraocular pressure, should be treated as a medical emergency.

Glaucoma and its subtypes are considered to be “optic neuropathy”. The nerve damage involves loss of retinal ganglion cells in a characteristic pattern. Raised intraocular pressure is the most important and only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma.

Ocular hypertension – is the condition; in which high eye pressure for years and never develop damage.

Low or normal tension glaucoma – is another condition, in which optic nerve damage associated with visual field loss, nut normal or low intraocular pressure.

Other variants of glaucoma are:

Exfoliation glaucoma:

a common form of open-angle glaucoma that results when there is a buildup of abnormal, whitish material on the lens and drainage angle of the eye.This material and pigment from the back of the iris can clog the drainage system of the eye, causing increased eye pressure. This form of glaucoma responds well to laser treatment.

 
Pigmentary glaucoma:

a condition that typically affects young, nearsighted, Caucasian males. This condition is characterized by the iris bowing backward, and coming into contact with the support structures that hold the lens in place. This position disrupts the cells lining the back surface of the iris containing pigment and results in a release of pigment particles into the drainage system of the eye. This pigment can clog the drain and can lead to an increase in eye pressure. This form of glaucoma responds well to laser treatment.

Neovascular glaucoma:

an uncommon type of glaucoma is difficult or nearly impossible to treat and is often caused by proliferative diabetic neuropathy or central retinal vein occlusion. It may also be triggered by other conditions results in ischemia of retina or ciliary body. Individuals with poor blood flow to the eye are highly at risk with this condition. Neovascular glaucoma results when new, abnormal vessels begin developing in the angle of the eye that begins blocking the drainage. Patients with such condition begin to rapidly their eyesight. Sometimes, the disease appears very rapidly, especially after cataract surgery procedures.

Toxic glaucoma:

it is open-angle glaucoma with an unexplained significant rise in intraocular pressure flowing unknown pathogenesis. Intraocular pressure can sometimes reach 80 mmHg. It is characteristical manifests as ciliary body inflammation and massive trabecular edema that sometimes extends to Schlemm’s canal. This condition is differentiated from malignant glaucoma by the presence of a deep and clear anterior chamber and a lack of aqueous misdirection. Also, the corneal appearance us not as hazy. A reduction in visual acuity can occur followed neurological breakdown. Associated factors include inflammation, drugs, trauma and intraocular surgery, including cataract surgery and vitrectomy procedures.

Glaucoma can be classified into specific types:

  1. Primary glaucoma
  2. Secondary glaucoma
  3. Developmental glaucoma
  4. Absolute glaucoma

Primary glaucoma

  • Primary glaucoma
    • The Primary open-angle glaucoma, also known as chronic open-angle glaucoma, chronic
      simple glaucoma, glaucoma simplex
    • High-tension glaucoma
    • Low-tension glaucoma
    • Acute angle closure glaucoma
    • Chronic angle-closure glaucoma
    • Intermittent angle closure glaucoma
    • Superimposed on chronic open-angle closure glaucoma (“combined
      the mechanism” – uncommon)
Homeopathic medicine for glaucoma

Variants of primary glaucoma

Developmental glaucoma

  • Primary congenital glaucoma
  • Infantile glaucoma
  • Glaucoma associated with hereditary of familial diseases

 

Secondary glaucoma

  • Inflammatory glaucoma
  • Phacogenic glaucoma
  • Glaucoma secondary to intraocular hemorrhage
  • Traumatic glaucoma
  • Neovascular glaucoma
  • Drug-induced glaucoma
  • Glaucoma of miscellaneous origin
  • Associated with intraocular tumors
  • Associated with retinal detachments
  • Secondary to severe chemical burns of the eye
  • Associated with essential iris atrophy
  • Toxic glaucoma

Absolute glaucoma:

Absolute glaucoma is the end stage of all types of
glaucoma. The eye has no vision, absence of pupillary light reflex and pupillary response, and has a stony appearance.
Severe pain is present in the eye. Warning signs of glaucoma: 

  • Unusual
    trouble adjusting to dark rooms
  • Difficulty
    focusing on near or distant objects
  • Squinting
    or blinking due to unusual sensitivity to light or glare
  • Change in color of the iris
  • Red-rimmed encrusted or swollen lids
  • Recurrent pain in or around eyes
  • Double vision
  • Dark a spot at the center of a viewing
  • Lines and edges appear distorted or wavy
  • Excess tearing or “watery eyes”
  • Dry eyes with itching or burning; and
  • Seeing spots, ghost-like images
  • Sudden loss of vision in one eye
  • Sudden hazy or blurred vision
  • Flashes of light or black spots
  • Halos or rainbows around light

 

Causes of glaucoma:

There are no specific causes for glaucoma is identified. No specific dietary factors are seen in causing glaucoma. But caffeine causes an increase in intraocular pressure in those has glaucoma but not seen the effect in normal persons.   Positive family history is a risk factor for glaucoma. A relative risk of developing primary open-angle glaucoma is four-fold in siblings of the glaucoma patient.   Secondary glaucoma, caused by prolonged use of steroids (steroid-induced glaucoma), the conditions that severely restrict the blood flow to the eye such as severe diabetic retinopathy, central retinal vein occlusion (neovascular glaucoma), ocular trauma (angle-recession glaucoma) and uveitis (uveilitic glaucoma).

Persons who are at risk for glaucoma:

  High ocular pressure alone is not deciding factor that person has glaucoma, but also the risk factors will decide the effect of glaucoma on the person. The most important risk factors include:

  • Age
  • Elevated eye pressure
  • Thin cornea
  • The family history of glaucoma
  • Nearsightedness
  • Past injuries to the eyes
  • Steroid use
  • A history of severe anemia or shock

Individuals with diabetes and hypertension may also have an increased risk of developing open-angle glaucoma. Diagnosis of glaucoma:  Regular eye examinations by your ophthalmologist are the best way to detect glaucoma. Your ophthalmologist will measure your eye pressure with Tonometry. Inspect the drainage angle of your eye with Gonioscopy. Evaluate your optic nerve with Ophthalmolscopy and test the visual field of each eye with Perimetry. Optic nerve evaluation and visual field testing are performed at regular intervals to monitor the effects of glaucoma. The information from these tests provides an indication of the effectiveness of the treatment being used and whether further treatments may be necessary.

Glaucoma tests:

Sr No Test What it examines How will test done
1 Tonometry Inner eye pressure The eye is numbed via eye drops. The examiner then uses a
tonometer to measure the inner pressure of the eye through pressure applied
by a puff of warm air or a tiny tool.
2 Ophthalmoscopy Shape and color of optic nerve The pupil is dilated via the application of eye drops.
Using a small magnification device with a light on the end, the examiner can
examine the magnified optic nerve.
3 Perimetry Complete field vision The patient looks straight ahead and is asked to indicate
when light passes the patient’s peripheral field of vision. This allows the
examiner to map the patient’s field of vision.
4 Gonioscopy Angle in the eye where iris meets the cornea Eye drops are used to numb the eye. A hand-held contact
lens with a mirror is placed gently on the eye to allow the examiner to see
the angle between the cornea and the iris.
5 Pachymetry Thickness of cornea The examiner places a pachymeter gently on the front of
the eye to measure its thickness.
6 Nerve fiber analysis Thickness of nerve fiber layer Using one of several techniques, the nerve fibers are
examined.

Treatment of Glaucoma:

The treatment for glaucoma depends upon the nature and severity of each case. In general, glaucoma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Eye drops, pills, laser procedures, and surgical operations are used to prevent or slow further damage from occurring. With any type of glaucoma, regular eye examinations are very important to detect progression and to prevent vision loss.

 

Medicines:

Glaucoma is often treated with eye drops taken regularly several times a day, sometimes in combination with pills. These medications will alter the circulation of eye fluid and lower eye pressure, either by decreasing the production of fluid within the eye or by increasing the flow leaving the drainage angle. Side-effects from some eye drops may include a stinging sensation, red eyes, blurred vision, headaches, or changes in pulse, heartbeat or breathing. Side-effects of pills may include tingling of fingers and toes, drowsiness, loss of appetite, bowel irregularities, kidney stones, anemia or bleeding disorders.

Laser Surgery:

Laser surgery is also effective for glaucoma treatment. Trabeculoplasty is laser treatment to enhance the eye drainage function to control eye pressure within the eye when treating open-angle glaucoma. Iridotomy is laser treatment to create tiny holes in the iris to improve the flow of eye fluid to the drain when treating narrow-angle glaucoma.

Operative Surgery:

Surgery will be recommended only if your ophthalmologist feels the benefit of a lower eye pressure achieved with an operation outweighs possible complications and/or further progression of optic nerve damage.

Homeopathic treatment for glaucoma:

Homeopathic constitutional treatment will take good care of glaucoma cases. As glaucoma is progressive destructive disease, with homeopathic medication complaints will reduce and it will arrest the further progression of disease without any side effects. In allopathic treatment for glaucoma, they use tropical adrenergic agonists, cholinergic agonists, beta blockers and prostaglandin analogs. With this medication, always there will be side effects. Even the beta blockers used in eye drops, cause bradycardia, hypotension, bronchospasm, heart block and even impotence and depression.

 

Main aims and criteria of homeopathic classical treatment:

1) It is a safe and alternative mode of treatment which can be used alone or
along with allopathic medication like eye drops prescribed by an ophthalmologist. 2) It will arrest the further progression of the disease, in advanced cases. 3) It will prevent and arrest the disease if diagnosed and treated early. 4) It prevents progression of the disease to another eye if treated early. 5) As homeopathic treatment acts in person as a whole, constitutionally, it
will reduce the intraocular pressure. 6) It corrects the hypertension glaucoma and reduces the symptoms. 7) It will reduce and cures the symptoms like redness, swelling, clarity of
vision. 8) It improves the visual quality and halo vision and diplopia. 9) In case of family history, it will reduce the effect of disease if treated
prior. 10) Genetic predominance will be reduced.

Some of the important rubrics, which help in glaucoma treatment, are,

  • Eye, anemia of, optic nerve
  • Eye, atrophy of, optic nerve
  • Eye, blinking, looking at a bright object
  • Eye, bloated lids
  • Eye, congestion
  • Eye, crooked, objects seem
  • Eye, dimness
  • Eye, discoloration, redness
  • Eye, edema
  • Eye, fiery
  • Eye, fire, darting out, as if
  • Eye, glaucoma
  • Eye, glazed
  • Eye, heaviness
  • Eye, hypertensive retinopathy
  • Eye, inflammation
  • Eye, intoxication, the appearance of
  • Eye, sensitive
  • Eye, swelling
  • Eye, tension, increased
  • Eye, water
  • Vision, approach, objects seem to then reduce
  • Vision, blurred
  • Vision, circles, rings
  • Vision, confusion of colors
  • Vision, dazzling
  • Vision, diplopia
  • Vision, a field of vision, contracted
  • Vision, the film before eyes, as if
  • Vision, impaired
  • Vision, loss of vision
  • Vision, smoky
  • Vision, twinkling before eyes
  • Vision, vanishing sight
  • Vision, weak

Some of the important Homeopathic Medicines which help in the treatment of glaucoma are:

For Acute complaints:

 Aconite, Apis, Ammonium, Arnica, Asafoetida, Atropinum, Belladonna, Bryonia, Chelidonium, Coffea, Colocynth, Gloninum, Grindelia, Ipecac, Jaborandi, Ranunculus bulbosus, Sanguinaria, Secale, Spigelia, Tabacum.

For Chronic complaints:

Aristolochia, Aurum met, Aurum muriaticum, Calcarea calb, cauticum, Cedron, Gelsimium, Iodum, Lachesis, Natrum mur, Prunus, Nux vomica, Pulsatilla, Osmium, Phosphorus, Pysostigma, Plumbum, Sulphuric acidum.

Some of the indicated drugs:

 OSMIUM is one of the great remedies in homeopathy for glaucoma with an iridescent vision:

A homeopathic drug that is useful for glaucoma with iridescent vision. Green colors surround the objects esp. candlelight. They have violent neuralgic pains above and below the eyes with watering of the eyes. There is an increase in the intraocular tension, with a dim sight and photophobia.

Homeopathic phosphorus for eyes is also a wonderful Remedy for glaucoma with a red vision: :

Indicated for a green halo about the candlelight like Osmium. Letters appear red. Sensation as if everything was covered with a mist or veil, or something pulled tightly over eyes. The patient sees well by shading eyes with the hand. There is a fatigue of the eyes and head even without much use of the eyes. Degenerative changes in the eyes with soreness and curved lines are seen in old people. Homeopathic Phosphorus for an eye is also a good drug for retinal trouble with lights and hallucination vision. Black points seem to float before the eyes. There may be atrophy of the optic nerve and partial loss of vision from abuse of tobacco or thrombosis of retinal vessels and degenerative changes in retinal cells.

COMOCLADIA DENTATA is an excellent medicine for glaucoma cure by homeopathy with a protrusion of eye:

It is to be considered when there are throbbing pains worse by heat. There is a ciliary neuralgia with the eyes feeling large and protruded, especially RIGHT, which is worse, near the warm stove. Sees only a glimmer of light with the left eye. Glaucoma, with a sense of fullness; eyeball feels too large. Eyes feel as if pressed outward. The motion of eyes aggravates.

Physostigma for glaucoma – homeopathic remedy with blindness and flashes of light:

It is another drug for glaucoma with flashes of light and partial blindness. Physostigma for glaucoma especially indicated in the contraction of the pupils and twitching of ocular muscles. There is also a spasm of the ciliary muscle in the eye, with irritability after using the eyes. It is an important drug for patients with increasing myopia. Other eye conditions where this drug is useful are night-blindness, photophobia, floaters, paresis of accommodation and astigmatism.

PRUNUS SPINOSA – a homeopathic medicine useful for glaucoma with burning pain in right eye:

Useful for glaucoma with a sudden pain in the left eye as if it would burst, better by lachrymation. There is sometimes also a bursting pain in the right eyeball, shooting like lightning through the brain to the occiput. It is also useful for ciliary neuralgia, irido-choroiditis, and opacity of the vitreous humor.

SPIGELIA – excellent homeopathic remedy for glaucoma with deep pain around the eye:

Glaucoma with a sensation in the eyes as if they are too large. There is a severe pain in and around the eyes, extending deep into the socket. There is also a pressive pain on turning them. Moreover, there may be a pain from beneath the eminence of the forehead and temples, extending to the eyes. It is felt as a semi-lateral headache, involving the left eye; the pain is violent and throbbing; worse, making a false step. The pupils are dilated.

Homeopathic constitutional treatment offers safe and effective treatment for glaucoma.

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Homeopathy Treatment to cure Piles
Homeopathy Treatment to cure Piles
5 years ago

Awesome information

M.gopaiah
M.gopaiah
5 years ago

I am Ramu suffering from vitreous eye floaters from 2 year. Now I am just 31 years old I get the Floaters at the age of 29 years. I cunsult many opthomlogists in our Andhra Pradesh some hospital names are lv Prasad eye institute at tadigadapa,Sankara netralay at Guntur and Sankar netralay Chennai Tamil Nadu. I cunsult Dr Tarun Sharma sir Chennai Sankar netralay vitreo retina surgeon and director of department. He examined my both eyes and replying to me. Your eyes are very healthy there is no any retina problem in your eyes so please ignore the floaters symptoms.… Read more »

Subject
Treatment for vitreous eye floaters
M.gopaiah
M.gopaiah
5 years ago

Yes I feel like conjunctivitis at my childhood days one time but I don’t know particular year sir

M.gopaiah
M.gopaiah
5 years ago

Yes I can cross roads easily, I have fear staying with lonely at open places. I feel anger about my eye floaters distrubed my vision.

M.gopaiah
M.gopaiah
5 years ago

I get eye floaters on march 13th 2016 at that time the floater visible small dark grey colour spot in my right eye only and gradually increasing somany transparent spots and transparent squggeling threds cobwebs and big cloud with in one and of month.after two months I get small black spot and transparent squggeling threds appearing in left eye. At that time I started allopathy medician for three months but there is no 1% of helpful to cure my vitreous eye floaters the floaters are day by day increasing. Then I started ayurvedic treatment for eye floaters from sreedhareeyam ayurvedic… Read more »

Ramu
Ramu
5 years ago
Reply to  M.gopaiah

I feel about my floaters very annoying, bothered me some times I feel make a suicide

Ramu
Ramu
5 years ago

No sir

Ramu
Ramu
5 years ago

No I can’t used kalium carbonicum

Ramu
Ramu
5 years ago

Hai sir good evening I am Ramu . I take KALI CARBONICUM 200c two pills before 10 days. but the vitreous eye floaters there is no any change and no improvement sir . The problem is same condition sir.

Ramu
Ramu
5 years ago

Hello good evening sir I am Ramu. I take KALI CARBONICUM 200c before 20 days but there is no any improvement to cure my vitreous eye floaters. Please cure my vitreous floaters

Ramu
Ramu
5 years ago

No I can’t used

Anonymous
Anonymous
8 years ago

"Even the beta blockers used in eye drops, causes bradycardia, hypotension, bronchospasm, heart block and even impotence and depression."
————-
This is true which I have observed in my cases.

Drdevendra Kumar munta

Thank you Dr.Sunitha for the information provided on GLAUCOMA and HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT.