Can turmeric decrease eye pressure?
nor does it damage the vision or the eyes. However, it increases the risk of glaucoma - a serious illness that causes damage to both the vision and the optic nerve. Curcumin - the active ingredient in turmeric - has shown a potential benefit in reducing the risk of glaucoma, according to the Glaucoma Foundation. Consult your doctor before using turmeric, or its active ingredient (curcumin), in any form to treat ocular hypertension.
About Turmeric
Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is a plant used as a spice and for medicinal purposes. It is an anti-inflammatory, and has potent antioxidants that can help prevent damage to cells - this means it may have anti-cancer properties, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It also has anticoagulant properties, which can help prevent potentially harmful blood clots from forming. Turmeric contains several beneficial components, but curcumin is the main active ingredient. This is responsible for most of the known benefits of turmeric.
Ocular hypertension
Increased ocular pressure - ocular hypertension - is sometimes the result of eye disease, such as glaucoma, but can occur without a known cause. It can occur in people of any age or race, but it occurs more often in people with diabetes, myopia and individuals over 40 years of age. Having a family history of ocular hypertension or glaucoma - or both at the same time - is also a risk factor. African Americans are also at increased risk for eye hypertension, most likely due to physical differences in their ocular structure, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Since this condition lacks symptoms, it is recommended that those at highest risk are monitored regularly.
Benefits of Turmeric
Curcumin in turmeric is a potential neuroprotective for glaucoma, according to Glaucoma Foundation, and a pilot study found that taking curcumin slows the progression of the disease. Although no study has focused specifically on reducing eye pressure, some studies have shown that curcumin reduces the mechanisms that lead to glaucoma, which may indicate that reducing eye pressure is possible. More studies are needed, however, to give definitive answers. The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticoagulant properties of curcumin are responsible for the beneficial effects that help protect eyes and vision.
Proper treatment
Turmeric is used in a variety of foods, but it is best to ingest it in the form of capsules, tinctures or extracts to get the right dose, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Consuming the raw turmeric root is also acceptable, although the levels of curcumin present are not as consistent as in the other forms. Contact a physician before taking turmeric or curcumin for ocular hypertension, to discuss both the appropriate dose and possible interactions with other medications, especially anticoagulants, that you are taking. Do not use turmeric or curcumin if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, gallstones or an obstruction of the bile duct.
