A success story

[AlfredV]

I wrote this from memory so some of the details might be a little out.

I'd undergone a number of treatments for acute angle glaucoma. I had few symptoms and eye pressures were only slightly elevated (low 20s).

The laser surgeries worked and lowered my pressures to low teens, but not before I'd had a terrible time with glaucoma drops. During this time I thought I'd developed a UTI (listed as a side effect of Travatan) and was given a course of antibiotics which very nearly killed me.

Months later my eye pressures started to rise and I was diagnosed with open angle glaucoma - a listed delayed side effect of the antibiotics.

Many drops were tried and they all caused the same systemic bad reaction making me severely ill. It even reached the point where the anaesthetic and fluorescein drops during an eye exam would also make me ill and it would takes several weeks to calm down.

Meanwhile my eye pressures would get higher and higher, sometimes peaking at 50+ at which point your vision starts to cloud over. Scary times. My eyes seemed to react to light causing pressure spikes so I spent the best part of the year in the pitch black.

I had one trabeculectomy in 2018 and the other in 2019. These were not without problems and much further work was required to try and get pressures down to favourable levels. Finally we achieved around 14 and 18 in each eye. All treatments would make me severely ill, I'd managed to develop allergies to most medications.

Then following the most recent surgery in 2020 in which I again became ill I suffered a heart attack and was put on a cocktail of medications making me severely ill again.

Against medical advice I weened myself off all medications and my health improved. I changed my diet to a clean ketogenic one (again, against medical advice) and within 3 months saw reductions in my eye pressures of around 25%. The consultant first thought I had cheated the test as he had previously shown me how to temporarily reduce my pressures with an eyeball massage. He figured I'd been doing this in the waiting room before the appointment.

The diet was definitely doing something and pressure remained at this reduced level.

At the start of this year I made more alterations to my diet. I haven't eaten any fruit for months, I've vastly reduced my vegetable intake and I eat mainly meat, fish, eggs and dairy. I'm about 90% carnivore. My "5 per day" is closer to "5 per week".

I've seen more health improvements doing this which I won't go into, but remarkably my eye pressures have come down again. This week my eyes were tested at 10 and 11. Blebs look good and no sign of any cataract formations. I was overjoyed.

I'm going to persist with the diet and see what happens.

If you've read this far, thank you. Obviously this isn't medical advice but it feels good to share a good story. I've had terrible health problems since those antibiotics but feel I'm getting stronger and healthier each and every day and no longer worry that my vision is a ticking time bomb.

[Beecalmed]

Interesting to hear your experience! So glad to hear you are still feeling so much better! I love my daily vegetables and fruit so I’m not sure I could give them up! A life without apples and spinach would be a very, very sad one for me! 😂

I wonder if sometimes just feeling that you are doing something to take control in a situation, where you appear to have none, can make a profound difference on your constitution too?

I agree food is a powerful medicine. I eat healthy. Minimise caffeine and sugar. Try to remember to drink water. But for me I will continue with my apple a day…well at least whilst it’s in season in the Uk! 🙂

Keep on keeping us posted and I do hope your good health continues! 👍🏻

[JustAmanda in reply to Beecalmed]

I am glad it appears to be working but could never recommend anyone to come off fruit and vegetables, because strong nutritional evidence suggests they’re usually highly beneficial.

Obviously you are free to do what works for you but a ketogenic is high in fats, which other dieticians would suggest could increase the risk of vascular disease. So, personally, I wouldn’t recommend anyone to forsake the usual benefits of fruit and veg without consulting a qualified nutritionist, or their GP, and in the context of a wider health assessment.

I do hope you’re having your cholesterol levels monitored. You may find the Zoe website helpful on gut health, too.

[Sapeur87]

The processed food and pharmaceutical industry hate stories like yours. It's amazing how a ketogenic diet can positively affect overall health - and in so many ways. The massive overload of carbohydrates (sugar) in our modern diets is truly addictive and have a lot to answer for. Just look around you in the street at the explosion on obesity - and that's just the damage you can see. This is the first I've heard of the positive effects of a ketogenic diet on Glaucoma, but it's very encouraging. Keep us informed.

[PBX142]

So pleased for you! And very much food for thought. To be clear, I presume you don't have any form of sugar? Certainly fruit is high in sugar...and sugar is very bad for eye health. And what about any carbohydrates?

[AlfredV in reply to PBX142]

I don't eat any grains or processed food. I don't add sugar to anything. My carbohydrate intake is low. The only exceptions are I eat a small amount of 85% dark chocolate (which has some sugar in it) and I do consume some alcohol. I know I'd be better without the alcohol but this is a compromise I'm working on.

[Sapeur87]

You have pretty much described my diet. Can I suggest that adding fermented foods to your diet for microbiome gut health eg kimchi, sauerkraut, kefir and to drink (as a great alcohol substitute) kombucha. All of these can be fermented at home (recipes on Google/YouTube).

[PBX142]

Well you're inspiring me to try harder ie be more disciplined! I don't drink much alcohol but I do like chocolate and cake! Can I ask why you don't eat grains? Does that include oats?

[AlfredV in reply to PBX142]

No grains at all, wheat, oats, barley, rice, corn etc. These foods aren't particularly compatible with a low carb lifestyle as they all have a high carb content. There's other reasons (anti-nutrients, herbicide absorption, etc), but it is primarily to keep my carb intake low.

[Sapeur87 in reply to PBX142]

I think the easiest way to explain it, is that all carbohydrates are turned into sugar by the body.

[AlfredV in reply to Sapeur87]

Good point, yes.

[KieranGlaucomaUK Administrator]

Hi AlfredV. It sounds like you have been through an awful lot and I am sorry to hear that you have been through a difficult journey with allergic reactions to medications etc!

I would exercise caution with the diet and I would suggest seeking advice from a nutritionist or dietician. I understand that it has been good for your glaucoma and other health problems, but you would want to be careful that you are not deficient in any vitamins, minerals etc. We do know that fruits and vegetables are also really beneficial for our health (and especially for the retina at the back of the eye!) and this diet will not be for everyone.

There could also be caveats here. As you cut everything out at the same time, we can't be sure what it is that has really helped it. For example, it is unlikely that cutting out vegetables was helpful but more likely the reduction in sugar and carbohydrates etc.

Just to note that this diet would not be for everyone, and I'd like to clarify for other readers that it is certainly not a replacement for medications or surgeries as these are the best course of treatment for glaucoma. If there is anything that you are considering changing in your diet, then always best to consult with your eye specialist.

[AlfredV in reply to KieranGlaucomaUK]

I agree wholeheartedly. What has worked remarkably well for me might not necessarily be suitable for others. I don't seek to offer up medical advice, but merely to share my own experiences. I'd love to see some research in future of the effects of diet on eye pressures and glaucoma.