Eye Floaters Can Be Reduced With Proper Nutrition

Many people come in to the office concerned about eye floaters.  A lot of patients have probably been told that there is nothing that can be done about these annoying specks and streaks that move across the field of vision, but you can take steps to reduce and prevent eye floaters.

Diet Advice

Here is some dietary advice I offer my patients.  For more tips on how to reduce and eliminate floaters please visit our website.

  • Eat brown rice and other whole grains instead of refined and processed grains (such as white bread and pasta).
  • Use unsulfured molasses and fruit juices for sweetening instead of white sugar, chocolate, or honey.
  • Drink rice, almond, or soy milk, herb tea or unsweetened, diluted fruit juices instead of coffee, tea, alcohol, or dairy drinks.
  • Steam or bake foods instead of frying them.
  • Eat lots of vegetables, but avoid the nightshade family (e.g., tomatoes, green peppers, white potatoes and eggplant).
  • Minimize your use of salt.

Vegetarians Less Likely to Develop Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic SyndromeMetabolic syndrome, a precursor to incidences of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease is more prevalent in people who eat meat.

A new study in the journal Diabetes Care describes how vegetarians are 36% less likely to develop metabolic syndrome than meat consumers.  Researchers conclude that a plant based diet can help to ward off the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome.  These findings offer further proof that a healthy diet can reduce one’s chances of developing cardiovascular disease.  Source: Foodconsumer.org

Eating well can also  reduce your risk of developing eye diseases like cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.  At Natural Eye Care we have developed The Vision Diet to help you eat your way to healthier eye sight.

 

Study: How Does Glaucoma Influence Patients’ Lives?

 

In addition to significantly compromising vision, glaucoma is a disease that also takes an emotional toll, according to a new study in the April issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

 

This study of 24 Chinese individuals with glaucoma showed that there are many fears associated with the disease including concerns about blindness and how the condition may effect other family members.  Many who were on medication, such as eye drops, were found to be self-administering them incorrectly.

Despite the relatively common nature of glaucoma in China, study participants knew little about the disease before they were diagnosed, leading researchers to conclude that there needs to be more public education about glaucoma as well as increased  support available to those who have received a glaucoma diagnosis.

According to the source for this story, Science Daily, “Some used traditional Chinese herbs like Wolfberry and Ginseng and the martial art of Tai Chi to help manage their condition. Others avoided spicy food to keep their condition stable. [According to one participant,]”Some food will get you into trouble like seafood and leek. They contain too much Yang, which can do harm to the eyes.”

At Natural Eye Care we believe strongly in both the power of traditional Chinese medicine and the power of food to help heal eye conditions.  Learn more about our prevention protocol, which includes a proper diet and the practice of a calming activity like Tai Chi.

Macular Degeneration Rates On the Decline In the US

Declining Rates | Increasing Rates
 

Declining Rates

A study of over 5,000 American from various racial and ethnic backgrounds shows that across the board, an estimated 6.5% of Americans are likely to develop macular degeneration (AMD).

Unlike glaucoma, which affects a disproportionately high number of African Americans, macular degeneration is shown to be much more common in white Americans than it is in blacks.

The results of this 2005-2008 study show that fewer people are developing macular degeneration than back in the period between 1988 and 1994 when researchers reported a prevalence rate of the disease of 9.4%.  This drop in macular degeneration rates (down to 6.5%) could be due to methodological differences, but study authors do state that their findings do support the assertion that incidences of AMD are on the decline.

Source: Archives of Ophthalmology,Vol. 129, No. 1

Increasing Rates

However, another study, in 2009, concluded quite the opposite.

Research statisticians indicate that macular degeneration   will increase dramatically by 2050, due to the aging of the US population but that this increase may be offset by new treatments.

A significant preventative therapy named in this study is the use of antioxidant vitamins to slow the progression of AMD from early to late stages.  Other treatments reviewed include laser and photodynamic therapies and anti-VEGF injections.

Scientists from the Research Triangle Institute International in North Carolina simulated cases of early and advanced macular degeneration, geographic atrophy (GA), and AMD-attributable visual impairment and blindness with 5 universal treatment scenarios:

  1. no treatment;
  2. focal laser and photodynamic therapy for advanced AMD (choroidal neovascularization)
  3. vitamin prophylaxis at early-AMD incidence with focal laser & photodynamic for later;
  4. no vitamin prophylaxis followed by focal laser treatment for extra and juxtafoveal advanced AMD and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment; and
  5. vitamin prophylaxis at early-AMD incidence followed by treatment, as in 4 for advanced stage AMD.

From the results of this analysis, the researchers predicted that cases of early AMD will increase from 9.1 million in 2010 to 17.8 million in 2050 across all scenarios, but that existing medical therapies have the potential to reduce the visual impairment and blindness attributable to AMD by as much as 35 percent, translating to 565,000 fewer cases of visual impairment and blindness in 2050.

Editor’s Note:  We attribute a good part of this increase to the faster pace of life with more stress and poorer quality food (fast food, too much sugar, too many unknown toxins).

 

 

Improve Eyes’ Light Sensitivity with Lutein and Zeaxanthin

Do you find that your eyes are sensitive to bright lights?

A study published in the journal Optometry & Vision Science describes how the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin were found to positively effect many visual performance issues (including contrast sensitivity) when one is exposed to glaring light conditions.  Carotenoids are organic pigments that are naturally occurring in plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some bacteria.  They are potent antioxidants and play a protective role in preventing many eye conditions.

This study indicated that these compounds, found most commonly in leafy greens, help people deal with bright sunlight outdoors, light from computer monitors, bright car headlights, etc.

For more research studies on light sensitivity, visit our website.

Learn about how you can eat food rich in eye health boosting nutrients.

Macular Degeneration Drug Associated With Cerebral Hemorrhage

eyesThe Wall Street Journal reports that researchers at Johns Hopkins are concerned about potential safety issues with the drug Avastin, which is sometimes proscribed on an off-label basis to macular degeneration patients.  A study comparing Avastin to its leading competition Lucentis (which was formulated specifically for the eye condition) found that those taking Avastin had an 11 percent higher mortality risk and 57 percent higher risk of cerebral hemorrhage.  The study did not take into account other risk factors like smoking, hypertension, or elevated cholesterol levels.  Source: Wall Street Journal

At Natural Eye Care we offer people with macular degeneration options that include nutrition advice, lifestyle recommendations, and natural supplement suggestions.

Diabetes Speeds the Aging Process

The American Diabetes Association tells us that 8.3% of Americans have diabetes.  Another 79 million people are thought to be pre-diabetic.  Those numbers are staggering, especially when a new report describes how diabetes contributes to premature aging.

A study published in the Diabetes & AgingJournal of General Internal Medicine describes how diabetics in their 50s are more likely to age before their time.  People with diabetes between the ages of 51 and 70 all exhibit markers associated with aging including cognitive impairment, incontinence, falls, dizziness, vision impairment, and pain before their non-diabetic counterparts.

Researchers credit this all-over increased aging process to the fact that diabetes affect multiple organ systems.
Source: Life Extension Daily News

One of the main organs that feels the effects of diabetes?  The eyes.  Diabetic retinopathy.  One quarter of those with diabetes have compromised vision.

Dry Eye Syndrome Impacts Women the Most

Prevent Blindness America reminds us that women are more likely to suffer from dry eye syndrome than men.

Their organization has designated April as Women’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness month.  They quote Lynn K Gordon, MD, PhD, president of the national organization, Women in Ophthalmology, ““Not only do more women have dry eye, they are also more likely to develop eye diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma.  And, because of increased longevity, women are more likely to develop macular degeneration. It is imperative that women of every age make an appointment with their eye doctor as soon as possible to ensure that they are protecting their vision for the future.”  Source: Prevent Blindness America

So, what can a woman (or a man) who wants to prevent dry eyes do?

  • Make sure to eat lots of green leafy vegetables.
  • Avoid sugar and/or artificial sweeteners: Eating  more than 3-2/3 tablespoons of sugar a day has been connected this condition (note that only one can of soda contains about 3 tablespoons of sugar).  Sugar is included in most refined and or processed such as instant dinners,  cereals, mustard, ketchup, and salad dressings and sauces and other condiments.
  • Avoid toxic fats that are found in commercial red meat and poultry, dairy products, fried foods, and hydrogenated margarine and shortening. These fats have the capacity to interfere with the proper metabolism of essential fatty acids in the body and are indirect causes of dry eye syndrome. Eat organic products whenever possible.
  • Limit coffee and stop smoking.
  • Avoid hydrogenated and transfatty acid containing foods
  • Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.
  • Avoid any foods to which you may be allergic.
  • Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin and/or an organic green drink daily.
  • Try drops with vitamin A  (see below)

Vitamin A & Dry Eye

A study done at the Catholic University of Korea showed that using eyedrops containing retinal palmitate daily for 4 weeks can effectively relieve the symptoms of dry eyes and improve tear film production.

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Accepted 11 August 2008. published online 09 October 2008. Inquiries to Choun-Ki Joo, Department of Ophthalmology, KangNam St Mary’s Hospital, #505 Ban-Po Dong, Seocho-Ku, Seoul 137-040, Korea

 

 

Atrial Fibrillation Patients Fare Better With Yoga

What would it take to get you on a yoga mat?  How about the possibility of cutting in half your chances of suffering episodes of dangerous irregular heartbeats if you suffer from a condition called atrial fibrillation.

A new study out of Mid-America Cardiology at the University of Kansas Hospital describes how doing yoga three times per week ups quality of life and lowers anxiety and depression rates in people with atrial fibrillation.

Generally, atrial fibrillation is treated with invasive surgery or medication with heavy side effects.  In this study, 49 people between age 25 and 70 with this heart condition began a thrice weekly yoga practice for three months.  They had 2.1 episodes of atrial fib while doing yoga compared  to the three months prior to the trial when they only did non-yogic exercise during which time they had an average of 3.8 episodes.  Source: HealthFinder

A regular practice of yoga can benefit your health in so many ways.  Read an article by our do-founder Dr. Marc Grossman on “The Yoga of Vision.”

Diabetic Retinopathy: New Video Diagnostic Technology

 

Diabetic retinopathy should be easier to detect with a new video imaging technique being developed in Australia.

At the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress researchers presented on how retinal video recording is as accurate at detecting diabetic retinopathy as the commonly established diagnostic practices – still photography and slit lamp examination.  The initial trial involved 200 eyes at the Royal Perth Hospital.  According to presenter Dr. Daniel Ting, Digital video “is able to image a larger area of retina within a shorter period of time, compared to the conventional retinal still photography.  It also provides a good continuity of retinal information and is less dependent on the cooperation of the patients who may move or lose focus during the process of still photography.”

It is hoped that the technology will allow Australian primary healthcare providers to do in-office screenings rather than current diagnostic practices that require more time and specialized training.

Source: VirtualMedicalCentre

For more information on diabetic retinopathy research, visit our website.