Category: Macular Edema

Iodine Supplement May Help Retinitis Pigmentosa Swelling – Cystoid Macular Edema (CME)

iodine supplementResearch suggests that individuals with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may benefit from a dietary iodine supplement. RP patients often experience retinal swelling as a result of Cystoid Macular Edema (CME). A study published in JAMA Ophthalmology showed swelling due to CME to be inversely related to iodine intake.

The study was conducted by researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, and Boston University School of Medicine. Using a Continue reading “Iodine Supplement May Help Retinitis Pigmentosa Swelling – Cystoid Macular Edema (CME)”

How Enzymes Help the Body and the Eyes

Raw vegetables are rich in enzymesAn enzyme acts as a catalyst to increase the rate of a chemical reaction. Enzymes are proteins. Scientists have named 3,000+ different enzymes, but perhaps 50,000 additional enzymes may exist. Enzymes all have specific functions that result in biochemical reactions. For example, certain enzymes are involved in the absorption of oxygen and production of energy; other enzymes help nutrients get into the cells.

Digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas are the most well-known, because they help break down food. Tay-Sachs disease and juvenile diabetes (Type I) are caused by genetic problems that inhibit the pancreas’s ability to generate the necessary enzymes in enough quantity.

Continue reading “How Enzymes Help the Body and the Eyes”

Cataracts Surgery Can Involve Increased Risk for Patient With Diabetes

People who have diabetes often suffer from cataracts as well; in fact, they are more likely than the general population to develop cataracts.  Diabetics considering cataracts surgery need to consider their increased risk factors before they chose to undergo the procedure.

It is very important that patients’ blood sugar is well-controlled before surgery to increase their post-surgical healing ability.  It is especially important that patients’ inflammation levels are monitored and kept as low as possible during and after surgery.

According to Rupert Menapace, MD, of OSN Supersite, “We need atraumatic surgery to minimize the inflammatory response and avoid induction or exacerbation of diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. Even in uneventful cataract surgery, the risk of developing macular edema is high in diabetic patients, up to 10%.”  Macular edema is swelling of the macula, the small area of the retina responsible for central vision, of which the central 5% of the retina is most critical to vision.

Source: “Cataract surgery with comorbidities requires careful surgical management” at www.osnsupersite.com.

Promising Therapies for Diabetic Macular Edema

Laser therapy, also called laser photocoagulation, is more effective and produces fewer side effects than corticosteroids injected into the eye for the treatment of diabetic macular edema according to a large, two-year multicenter study reported in the journal Ophthalmology (Volume 115, page 1447).

A new technique called photocoagulation is a form a therapy using a laser light.  It has been effective in treating diabetic macular edema – swelling – a condition that develops from untreated diabetes.  It is more effective and injecting corticosteroids in the eyes and has fewer side effects.

This was reported by researchers after a large two-year study of more than 600 people.

Published: Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 115, p. 1447

Editor’s Note: Learn  more about nutrition and diabetes and diabetic retinopathy.

Vinpocetine shows promise for chronic inflammation

Findings reported in article published online on May 6, 2010 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (see link below) suggest that vinpocetine, a derivative of vincamine (from the periwinkle plant), could be useful for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, infectious diseases and cancer.

Researchers believe that  vinpocetine, which, according to wikipedia is a “semi-synthetic”  derivative of an extract of periwinkle, vincamine, could be very helpful for treating diseases connected to chronic inflammation. These include coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, and a number of infectious diseases.

Because conditions such as macular edema and diabetic retinopathy are tied to inflammation, this derivative may be helpful for these conditions.

Published: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, May 6, 2010.