Dietary habits are useful as risk factors for primary open-angle glaucoma while controlling for heredity and metabolic disease.

BACKGROUND: Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) has been associated with cardiovascular and dietary risk factors. AIM: This study aimed to determine whether dietary practices correlate with POAG, after controlling for the most important risk factors, namely heredity and cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes mellitus, hypertension and dyslipidaemia). METHODS: Two samples of equal sizes (N = 100) were randomly selected from glaucoma outpatient services with and without POAG. Dietary habits and risk factors for POAG were recorded. RESULTS: Clinical cases can be discerned from controls in 90.5% of all cases, on account of having a familial history of glaucoma, eating less meat per week which is cooked more and with more visible fat and drinking less pure fruit juice. CONCLUSIONS: Drinking pure fruit juice, consuming more meat with less visible fat cooked to a lower effect and modest salt consumption during cooking is practical and easy-to-observe dietary advice for any patients at risk or already suffering from POAG.