Category: Eye Conditions

Sleep Position Can Improve Eye Pressure in Glaucoma Patients

A recent study out of the Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences at the University of Toronto New indicates that glaucoma patients can reduce intraocular pressure by sleeping with their head elevated at a 30-degree angle as opposed to sleeping with their heads flat on a mattress.  This resulted in a 20% lower IOP.  Study participants exhibited no differences in blood pressure or ocular perfusion pressure between the two positions.  Ocular perfusion is the relationship between IOP and blood pressure – another glaucoma marker.

Previous studies had established that raising the head lowers IOP and that lying down supine results in higher IOP.  Scientists found that comparing lying down to a 45 degree raised position from the horizontal results in a 10% to 15% lower IOP.

This new research gives some more specifics to help the glaucoma patient.

Sources:

Ophthalmology,  Feb 24, 2010
https://www.aao.org/publications/eyenet/201101/glaucoma.cfm
https://www.eyeworld.org/article-sleeping-position-alters-intraocular-pressure

 

Eye Problems in Babies and Children: What To Look For

Eye and Vision Milestones in Infants
Babies older than 3 months should be able to follow or “track” an object as it moves across their field of vision.  If your baby is unable to hold steady eye contact by this time or seems unable to see, let your pediatrician know. Eye-crossing is common in babies before 4 months of age, especially when they are eating.  Eyes that cross all the time or one eye that turns out is often indicative of a problem and should be brought to your doctor’s attention.

Vision Problems in Toddlers
Eye misalignment is called strabismus and is a reason to call the pediatrician right away.  Other vision problems include lazy eye or amblyopia, which has no warning signs and may not effect your child’s vision.

The following problems should prompt a conversation with a pediatrician or an eye professional for children of any age:

White, grayish-white, or yellow-colored material in the pupil
  • Eyes that flutter quickly from side-to-side or up-and-down
  • Bulging eye(s)
  • Persistent eye pain, itching, or discomfort
  • Redness in either eye that doesn’t go away in a few days
  • Pus or crust in either eye
  • Eyes that are always watery
  • Drooping eyelid(s)
  • Excessive rubbing or squinting of the eyes
  • Eyes that are always sensitive to light
  • Any change in the eyes from how they usually look

Source: HealthyChildren.org

 

Pumpkin Seed, Macular Degeneration & BPH

Macular Degeneration:

Pumpkin seed oil is rich in zeaxanthin, which protects the retina and slow the progress of macular degeneration. In 2003, the Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton in England announced that zeaxanthin “may be far more important in preventing or stabilizing macular degeneration than previously realized.”  Learn more about zeaxanthin.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia:

When pumpkin seed is taken along with saw palmetto symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia can be reduced (BPH).   Scientists have noted that the benefit may arise from some of the contents of pumpkin seed, such as plant sterols, zinc, and  fatty acids. Learn more about benign prostate hyperplasia.

 

Omega-3s Support Eye Health

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) already supports the assertion that omega-3 in the form of ALA aids cognitive and eye function and may soon be extending this designation to DHA.  Products will be able to make this claim on their packaging.
Source: nutraingredients

DHA has been documented to help those who suffer from retinitis pigmentosa.

Omega-3 Delivery

Spanish researchers have developed a new way to deliver omega-3 nutrients in more stable capsule form. The new process uses “electrosprayed zein encapsulation.”  It promises to keep omega-3 fatty acid DHA from oxidizing too quickly, a process that leads to foul odors, tastes, and a break down of the beneficial properties.  The traditional animal derived gelatin capsules could be replaced with zein, a type of protein found in maize.

Source: Journal of Food Science

Visit our website to learn about how essential fatty acids are vital to vision health.

Stem Cells Help Cornea Burns | BioSynthetic Corneas

Italian researchers reported in 2010 that patients who had become blind or had other very severe damage to their corneas due to being splashed with chemicals received a reprieve.  They received transplants of their stem cells and regained their vision.  It was considered a huge success in the field of stem-cell therapy.

The researchers accomplished their results by removing a tiny amount of stem cell tissue from a patient’s eye that was not damaged, and used them to grow new corneal tissue.  This tissue was then replace surgically.  A further benefit was that because the stem cells had come from the patient’s own eyes, they did not need to take drugs to block the bodies natural tendency to reject foreign materials.

Published: New England Journal of Medicine, 6/24/2010

BioSynthetic Corneas

Researchers have implanted corneas made of genetically engineered collagen in patients for the first time.  Potentially, the millions of people on the waiting list for corneas from human donors could experience restored sight with these implants made from human genes and specialized yeast cells.

Ten patients in Sweden had the genetically engineered corneas inserted two years ago; the vision of six of the ten has improved. None of the patients experienced graft rejection or required long-term immune suppression, both of which can be factors for patients who receive corneas from human donors.

Study authors are optimistic about the development of biosynthetic corneas, but say that the technology is not fully mature.  Right now, the lab-made material is very fragile making it appropriate for patients with surface corneal damage but not those with damage to the innermost layers of the cornea.

Source: This study was published in Science Translational Medicine, Aug. 25, 2010; vol 2. 

 

 

Acupuncture Can Cure Lazy Eye in Children

Researchers have discovered that acupuncture can help children suffering from “lazy eye” or amblyopia.

Researchers at Chinese University of Hong Kong and the International Eye Center of Shantou University have discovered that acupuncture can help children suffering from “lazy eye” or amblyopia.  The children received acupuncture on five points five days a week for 25 weeks.  The treatment provides a 40-60% chance of curing the condition that occurs when a healthy eye does not receive the correct signals from the brain.

Learn more on lazy eye and other binocular conditions.

 

White rice tied to higher risk of diabetes

A US-based study on Monday linked eating white rice to higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and backed long-held claims that brown rice is healthier than the white variety.

A 2010 study connected including white rice (as opposed to brown rice) to a greater likelihood of developing adult-onset diabetes.  It substantiated long-time reports that brown rice is more healthy than white.  The study investigated patients who ate a minimum of 5 white rice servings per week and found that they had a 17% higher risk of developing the conditions – compared to those who eat less than one serving per month.

Researchers: Harvard School of Public Health

Editor’s Note:  All refined foods – white rice rather than brown, white flour rather than whole wheat, highly refined sugars, grits rather than corn – would likely generate similar results because the outer husk contained the bulk of the nutrients has been removed.

Learn  more  about diabetes and diabetic retinopathy and guidelines for supplementing your diet with juicing to combat diabetic retinopathy.

Current and Future Treatment Options for Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a common childhood eye disorder in which the brain favors vision in one eye.

Amblyopia is a common childhood eye disorder in which the brain favors vision in one eye. Current treatment involves wearing a patch over the dominant eye in order to force the brain to use the other eye. Clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health have provided more concrete guidelines for wearing an eye patch: most can wear a patch for just two hours a day while the most severe cases require six hours of patch wearing (not full time as was once directed).

In the future, functional MRI technology is expected to help cure this neurologic disorder. Because recent research show that this condition may have genetic origins, future preventative therapies may be developed.

Source reference: National Institutes of Health

Diabetic Retinopathy Linked to Sleep Apnea

Research presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 105th International Conference indicates patients with diabetes who have retinopathy should also be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

Research presented at the American Thoracic Society’s 105th International Conference indicates patients with diabetes who have retinopathy should also be screened for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) because evidence strongly suggests a link between the two conditions.  “We know from our earlier research that 23 percent of men with type 2 diabetes have OSA and this is under-recognized and under-treated,” said Sophie D. West, M.D., of the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine in the United Kingdom, who led the research.”  Sleep apnea is marked by snoring, periods of when breathing stops during sleep, and daytime sleepiness.  OSA can be diagnosed through a sleep study and can be treated with the help of a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device.

Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/150754.php

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.