Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 May-Aug;8(2):54-7.
doi: 10.5005/jp-journals-10008-1161. Epub 2014 Jun 12.

Complementary and Alternate Management of Glaucoma: The Verdict so Far

Shibal Bhartiya  1 , Parul Ichhpujani  2
Affiliations
Review

Complementary and Alternate Management of Glaucoma: The Verdict so Far

Shibal Bhartiya et al. J Curr Glaucoma Pract. 2014 May-Aug.

Abstract

Complementary and alternative medicine deserves scientific scrutiny as patients with glaucoma often lose vision despite adequate medical or surgical treatment. Most glaucomatologists abstain from recommending alternative medicine as there is little evidence to support most of the recommendations for complementary and alternate management (CAM) use in glaucoma. Megavitamin supplementation has not been shown to have a long-term beneficial effect on glaucoma. In a glaucomatous eye, a very modest benefit of IOP-lowering may be offset by the temporary elevation in IOP that accompanies exercise. There is little evidence to support the use of special diets, acupuncture, relaxation techniques, or therapeutic touch for the treatment of glaucoma. Marijuana can have a profound lowering of IOP, but the low response rate, short half-life, and significant toxicity are strong indicators that it is not an appropriate therapeutic agent. Future research must be carried out to document the effect of CAM not only on IOP, but also on perimetric tests or other objective parameters, such as ocular blood fow and nerve fiber layer thickness. How to cite this article: Bhartiya S, Ichhpujani P. Complementary and Alternate Management of Glaucoma: The Verdict so Far. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2014;8(2):54-57.

Keywords: Acupuncture; Alternative therapy; Complementary therapy; Ginkgo biloba; Glaucoma; Yoga..

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Source of support: Nil

Conflict of interest: None

References

    1. Spring S. What is complementary and alternative medicine. In: General Information Package–National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Clearinghouse. US: US Public Health Service Publication; 1998.
    1. Rhee DJ, Spaeth GL, Myers JS, Steinmann WC, Augsburger JJ, Shatz LJ, Terebuh AK, Ritner JA, Katz LJ. Prevalence of the use of complementary and alternative medicine for glaucoma. Ophthalmology. 2002 Mar;109(3):438–443. - PubMed
    1. Wan MJ, Daniel S, Kassam F, Mutti G, Butty Z, Kasner O, Trope GE, Buys YM. Survey of complementary and alternative medicine use in glaucoma patients. J Glaucoma. 2012 Feb;21(2):79–82. - PubMed
    1. Roddy G, Curnier D, Ellemberg D. Reductions in intraocular pressure after acute aerobic exercise: A Meta-analysis. Clin J Sport Med. 2014 Sep;24(5):364–372. - PubMed
    1. Yip JL, Broadway DC, Luben R, Garway-Heath DF, Hayat S, Dalzell N, Lee PS, Bhaniani A, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT et al. Physical activity and ocular perfusion pressure: the EPIC-Norfolk eye study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011 Oct;52(11):8186–8192. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources