Authored by Dr Harsh Sharma, Edited and Peer Reviewed by Dr. Pooja Sharma

Published December 2, 2023, Last updated December 2, 2023

Glaucoma is an eye condition that damages your optic nerve. It is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60. The optic nerve supplies signals from the eye to the brain which forms an image accordingly. When the optic nerve gets damaged, the signals are not sent to the brain and no images are formed.  The following 5 homeopathic medicines for glaucoma are very effective –

1. Eserinum
2. Rhus Tox
3. Spigelia
4. Phosphorus
5. Silicea

   Before we come to the detailed indications pointing to the use of these homeopathic medicines for glaucoma, let us delve a little deeper into the disease, its causes and symptoms.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a progressive disease and tends to run in families. As I have mentioned in the previous paragraph, glaucoma occurs due to damage to the optic nerve. This is the second cranial nerve and is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibres. It is situated at the back of the eye and connects the retina to the brain. The optic nerve transfers visual images to the brain through the medium of electrical impulses. When the nerve gets damaged, it fails to fire the electrical impulses. This eventually results in blindness. Once the vision is lost, it cannot be revived. Therefore, it is very important to preserve the optic nerve and prevent damage to it.

What causes Glaucoma?

The eye is filled with a fluid Aqueous Humor. This keeps the eye inflated, lubricated and nourishes the eye. The eye keeps on making this fluid and at the same time it drains out of the eye through a mesh. When the eye starts making excess of this fluid or the drainage reduces, excess fluid builds up I the eye. This causes the pressure in the eye to build up more than normal. Excess pressure in the eyeball tends to erode the optic nerve. This damage to the optic nerve is irreversible and can eventually lead to total blindness.

Types of Glaucoma

There are five types of glaucoma-

1. Open-Angle Glaucoma
   This is the most common form of glaucoma. It happens slowly. The eye does not drain fluid as well as it should. The fluid starts accumulating in the eye. This builds up pressure inside the eye and damages the optic nerve.
2. Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma
   This occurs suddenly. It happens when your iris is close to the drainage angle in the eye. In such cases, the iris can block the drainage completely. The moment this happens, the eye pressure rises suddenly.
3. Congenital Glaucoma
   Some people are born with glaucoma. This happens due to a defect in the angle of the eye. Congenital glaucoma often runs in families.
4. Secondary Glaucoma
   It occurs due to an injury or any other eye disease like cataract or tumors. Such a lesion can block the drainage of the eye and lead to increase in eye pressure.
5. Normal Tension Glaucoma

This may occur due to unknown reasons where some damage happens to the optic nerve even when the pressure inside the eye is normal.

What are the risk factors for Glaucoma?

Age is the biggest risk factor for glaucoma as it happens mostly in people above the age of 60. People with other eye diseases like cataract are also at a higher risk. Similarly, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease are major risk factors. Family history of glaucoma too predisposes you to the occurrence of this. Prolonged use of steroids is another risk factor.

What are the symptoms of Glaucoma?

The symptoms of glaucoma depend upon the type of the disease. In open angle glaucoma, the symptoms start very slowly. The main symptom in this type is the loss of peripheral vision. This means that you cannot see what is at the sides while the straight vision is preserved.

The acute angle closure glaucoma comes on suddenly. The usual symptoms are haloes around lights, pain in the eyes, redness and haziness in the eye. Vomiting or gastritis may also occur in some cases. The pain in this case may be severe and may happen in the eye or the forehead region. The vision is sometimes blurred.

Homeopathic Treatment of Glaucoma

Homeopathic medicines are able to cure glaucoma by removing the root cause of the problem. In case, there is excessive production of fluid in the eye, homeopathic medicines are able to normalize the production. Once the production reduces and becomes normal, the pressure within the eye also comes down to normal. This means that the damage to the optic nerve gets prevented. In case the drainage of the eye is reduced, homeopathic medicines improve the drainage.

5 Best Homeopathic medicines for Glaucoma

I am giving a list of the common homeopathic medicines used in the treatment of glaucoma. These medicines are very effective. The precise choice of the right medicine depends upon the symptoms of the patient. A good match of the symptoms of the patient with those of the medicine is the requirement of a homeopathic cure. Having said that, here are the 5 best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma –

1. Eserinum – One of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma with decreased pupil contraction

2. Rhus Tox – One of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma due to injury to the eye

3. Spigelia – One of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma with deep pain in the sockets

4. Phosphorus – One of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma with cataract

5. Silicea – One of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma with swelling of the lachrymal duct

A brief description of the symptoms of these 5 medicines is being given for your perusal. This is by no means the end of either the medicines used for glaucoma or the symptoms of the medicines mentioned here. Paucity of space and structure of the article dictate that a brief synopsis should be given for your help.

1. Eserinum – One of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma with decreased pupil contraction

When the pupils are slow to contract in reaction to light, Eserinum is one of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma. Even when strong light falls on the eye, the pupils are slow to react. They contract slightly and return to their original size. There is pain and irritation of eyes on continued reading.

2. Rhus Tox – One of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma due to injury to the eye

When an injury is the cause of glaucoma, Rhus Tox is one of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma. Eye may pain on turning or pressing it and the patient can hardly move it. There may be hot scalding tears in the eyes.

3. Spigelia – One of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma with deep pain in the sockets

When there is deep pain in the eye sockets, Spigelia is one of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma. The eyes feel too large. There is pressing pain on moving eyes. The pupils are dilated and the patient cannot tolerate light.

4. Phosphorus – One of the best homeopathic medicines for glaucoma with cataract

When cataract is also present with glaucoma, Phosphorus is one of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma. There is atrophy of the optic nerve. Black points or starts seem to float before the eyes. Vision is better by shading the eye with a hand. The patient is usually lean and thin. Thirst is intense and wants cold water.

5. Silicea – One of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma with swelling of the lachrymal duct

When there is swelling of the lachrymal duct, Silicea is one of the best homeopathic remedies for glaucoma. It has a definite action on the angles of the eyes. There is aversion to light, more so daylight. The eyes are tender to touch. There is sharp pain through the eyes.