Category: Stargardt’s Disease

Opposite Vitamin A Recommendations for Stargardt’s Disease vs Retinitis Pigmentosa

vitamin a beta carotene foodsStargardt’s Disease and Retinitis Pigmentosa are genetic eye diseases that involve the metabolism of vitamin A. However vitamin A has a different impact on the course of each disease. A recent study[1. BMC Ophthalmol. 2016; 16: 13. “Dietary profile of patients with Stargardt’s disease and Retinitis Pigmentosa: is there a role for a nutritional approach?” by Francesco Sofi et. al.] examined the total intake of vitamin A in both types of patients. It found that:

Computers & Your Eyes II: How Blue Light Damages Vision

blue light electronics Blue light is emitted from all handheld electronic devices as well as desktop and laptop computers and televisions. It is the shortest wave length light in the visible spectrum and causes significant damage to many parts of the eye seriously impacting present and future vision capacity. Damage from blue light from smartphones is particularly important because smartphones are often used in dim light and are used close to the eyes. Unlike ordinary computer vision fatigue, damage from blue light is serious, cumulative and irreversible. Continue reading “Computers & Your Eyes II: How Blue Light Damages Vision”

Computers & Your Eyes: A 3-Part Series

Eye strain is the symptom that most people associate with overuse of electronic visual display devices — from television to laptops & desktops — to smartphones — to handheld games and ebooks.

Smartphone ownership has grown explosively with 68% of Americans owning smartphones in 2015 compared to 35% in 2011. Most adults under age 50 (79%-85%) are smartphone owners, and of the middle-age to senior group (age 50-64) more than half own and use smartphones. This growth has lead to increased rates of a number of vision conditions.

Perhaps even more alarming, many health professionals regard smartphone addiction with its negative consequences as an emerging health trend.

In this 3 part series we’re examining the consequences of damage from these electronic devices:

Continue reading “Computers & Your Eyes: A 3-Part Series”

Bone Marrow Stem Cells May Treat AMD, Stargardt’s & Retinitis Pigmentosa

eye operationFuture treatments for macular degeneration (AMD), Stargardt’s disease, and retinitis pigmentosa may include bone marrow stem cell injections, if a new line of eye research pans out. A preliminary pilot study on six subjects with one of several ischemic eye diseases found that most patients had vision improvement after receiving injections of their own bone marrow.

The purpose of the study was to find out if there were any adverse side effects and to test for vision improvement. The only significant negative side effect was some pain after bone marrow Continue reading “Bone Marrow Stem Cells May Treat AMD, Stargardt’s & Retinitis Pigmentosa”

Stem Cells Discovered in Fat May Treat Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt’s

adult fat stem cellsThe potential is great for these stem cells to aid in healing damaged and diseased tissues. Not to mention most adults wouldn’t mind giving up a little extra fat for something that could save lives.

Stem cells are valued tremendously for their ability to transform into any type of tissue. The capability of the cells to grow into anything from bone to nerve to heart translates to the conceivable treatment of countless diseases. Previous research has largely been Continue reading “Stem Cells Discovered in Fat May Treat Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt’s”

Eye’s Stem Cells May Provide Key to ARMD, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt’s Disease

researcherResearchers have found a layer of tissue in the eye that can self-renew and may provide cures in the future for retinal diseases such as Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), Stargardt’s disease, Best’s disease, and some types of retinitis pigmentosa. These eye diseases begin in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is a layer of eye tissue that supports the cells that make vision possible (photoreceptors). When the RPE degenerates, vision is compromised and can result in blindness.

Around ten percent of the cells in the RPE can renew themselves. In essence, they are dormant RPE stem cells. Cures for retinal diseases could lie in coaxing the dormant stem cells into becoming mature RPE cells. This could undo the damage from retinal diseases Continue reading “Eye’s Stem Cells May Provide Key to ARMD, Retinitis Pigmentosa, Stargardt’s Disease”

Stargardt’s Disease Vitamin A Contraindication

vitamin a contraindicated for Stargardts diseaseShould you take extra Vitamin A if you have Stargardt’s Disease? Vitamin A supplementation is frequently recommended for certain eye diseases (AMD and Retinitis Pigmentosa, for example). This nutrient is crucial for rebuilding photoreceptors cells and proper retinal functioning. However, a study on mice published in “Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science” indicated that Stargardt’s Disease patients may be damaged by taking Vitamin A.

Continue reading “Stargardt’s Disease Vitamin A Contraindication”

How Microcurrent Stimulation Could Help Eye Diseases

An FDA-guided and -supervised study revealed that microcurrent stimulation, also called electrotherapy, resulted in significant vision improvements in 61% of patients suffering from dry macular degeneration. The research showed promise that microcurrent stimulation could also help patients with diabetic retinopathy or retinitis pigmentosa.

Microcurrent stimulation is a therapy designed to alleviate pain, promote the healing of wounds  and improve results with transplanted tissues. The FDA has approved its use for these purposes under specific protocols. This therapy is commonly used by rehab specialists, anesthesiologists, orthopedic surgeons, and plastic surgeons.

Continue reading “How Microcurrent Stimulation Could Help Eye Diseases”

Grapes May Prevent Age-Related Macular Degeneration

grapes have anti-oxidant effects on the eyesA new study in the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine compared the effects of lutein to grapes on the eyes. Grapes won out, providing more protection against oxidative damage to the retina than the nutrient lutein.

Mice were broken into two groups: on had a diet high in grapes, and the other received lutein, a plant chemical that recommended for eye health. The mice who ate grapes were less likely to go blind.

Grapes are rich in anti-oxidants, which fights free radical damage.

The study’s head author, Dr Silvia Finnemann from Fordham University, described the results as “remarkable” and wrote, “A lifelong diet enriched in natural antioxidants, such as those in grapes, appears to be directly beneficial for RPE (retinal pigment epithelium cells) and retinal health and function.”

Some diseases that result in damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer in the eye include Stargardt’s disease and age-related macular degeneration.

This study does not diminish lutein as an eye care supplement. A solid body of scientific research shows lutein’s benefits. Lutein also has antioxidant properties; grapes had  a stronger effect in mice in this single study. Lutein is found in the macula of healthy eyes, and research shows that taking 6 mg of lutein each day reduces the risk of macular degeneration by 48%. Learn more about lutein for eye care.

 

 

Embryopic Stem Cell Research for Macular Degeneration Approved

test tubes
image via atp.nist.gov

The Food and Drug Administration has just approved the use of human embryonic stem cells to treat macular degeneration.

The company, Advanced Cell Technology, is already doing research on the use of stem cells to treat people with another condition related to progressive vision loss, Stargardt’s disease.  Source: Medscape

Though the general consensus in the medical community generally has it that macular degeneration inevitably leads to blindness, there are natural treatment options out there that can halt and even reverse the progression of the disease.