Natural Eye Care Blog: News & Research on Vision

Children’s Eye Conditions Can Influence Socialization

Being accepted as a kid can be tough sometimes, especially if you have a “squint.”

According to a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, young children whose eyes are obviously affected by conditions like strabismus are less likely to be invited to birthday parties than their unaffected identical twins. The preference was much stronger after the age of six when nearly 50% of kids looking at pictures of children with squints noticed immediately that they were “different.”

The results of this study lead researchers to conclude that “schoolchildren with strabismus seem less likely to be accepted by their peers, so corrective surgery for strabismus should be performed before the age of six years, when negative social implications may arise.” Source: https://www.irishhealth.com/article.html?id=17753

Learn more about other binocular conditions that can affect adults and children.

Blood Tests For Food Allergies in Children May Result in False Positives

Blood tests for food allergies in children may not be as reliable as you think.

According to a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics 84 – 93% of foods that had been avoided due to blood test results could be reintroduced after passing “food challenges.” Source: https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/

This is not to say that we should ignore the ways that food allergies and sensitivities can impact health. Diseases and conditions people suffer from can actually result from hidden allergies and sensitivities, including everything from rheumatoid arthritis to depression.

Learn more about common allergens and how lifestyle changes and supplements can help you manage food sensitivities.

Fight Macular Degeneration: Exercise, Weight Management & Stop Smoking

Weight Management to Fight Macular Degeneration

A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology shows that people with a body mass index of less than 25 are less likely than their peers to develop macular degeneration. Daily exercise also helped keep the eye disease in check. Over the course of the four year study patients who participated in vigorous exercise at least three times per week reduced the chance that the disease would worsen by 25%.

Continue reading “Fight Macular Degeneration: Exercise, Weight Management & Stop Smoking”

Causes of Dry Eye: Make up, Hormones, Computer Use

According to an article in Primary Care Optometry News dry eye symptoms can be caused by interactions of cosmetics. Gregory S. Moore, OD pins the problem on the interaction of different product brands rather than the used of eye make-up in general. He says “There’s the possibility that different brands of make-up are interacting and causing a problem. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration only requires companies to test the brands against themselves, so you never know if what you’re using could be causing some type of chemical reaction.” Source: https://www.pconsupersite.com

Other causes of dry eye can include hormonal changes (specifically in women) and computer eye strain.

Chamberbitter Fights Fatty Liver Disease

The traditional Chinese medicinal herb phyllanthus urinaria, or chamberbitter, has been found to effectively fight liver fat, according to scientists at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Researchers say that chamberbitter reduces inflammation and fibrosis – or scarring – in the liver and that it was useful in treating mice with the liver condition non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH, also known as fatty liver disease, is associated with people who carry excessive weight around their abdomens and is becoming more common as the obesity epidemic worsens. It can lead to cirrhosis. Source: Lef Daily News

At Natural Eye Care, we believe strongly in the power of Traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture’s potential health benefits. One product that involves traditional Chinese herbs is Jason’s Famous Cold and Flu Formula – it’s essential as we start moving into the cold winter months.

Breakthrough: Microchip Implant Restores Partial Sight

For the first time, scientists have restored the ability of previously blind patients to recognize letters, fruit and other items using light-sensitive microchips implanted in the inner surface of the eye.

The microchip is only approximately 3 millimeters by 3 millimeters in size, but is loaded with 1,500 light detectors that send a grid of electrical impulses through a patient’s nerves to generate a 1,500-pixel image. The device is implanted under the retina, the inner lining of the eye unlike other implants that sit outside the retina and require users to wear an external camera. Since the chip requires a sharp image, the patients wear reading glasses.

For information on natural eye care, go to www.naturaleyecare.com

In a paper published in The Procedings of the Royal Society B researchers describe how three patients suffering from hereditary retinal dystrophy regained the ability to identify objects and people and even read words printed in large letters. The technology involves that natural projection of images through the eye’s lens onto a chip placed under the transparent retina.

Source: http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/early/2010/11/01/rspb.2010.1747.abstract

Acupuncture Aids Weight Loss

Researchers have just released the results of a new study called “The Effects of Acupuncture on Weight-Loss in Over-Weight and Obese Adults Over 24 Years Old.”

This study has been called “groundbreaking” because it claims that 95% of the participants lost weight over the six week trial. Even after they stopped receiving acupuncture treatments, 50% of the men and women in the study continued to lose weight.

The study’s subjects lost an average of one to two pounds per week without making any concerted changes to their diet or exercises regimens.

According to one participant, “The study helped with my energy levels and with my appetite. I now sleep soundly and wake up refreshed.” Source: https://www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=10370&Section=Nutrition

We believe strongly in the power of acupuncture (Natural Eye Care’s founders are both licensed acupuncturists!). Acupuncture can also help those with allergies and sensitivities as well as diabetes. Learn more about managing weight loss.

Beet Juice Can Help Prevent Dementia, Diabetic Retinopathy, and Eye Floaters

In our practice we are great proponents of juicing and its many health benefits. One veggie that is in many of the recipes that we recommend for specific eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and eye floaters is the humble seeming beet. We have known for a long time the beet helps to improve circulation and also purifies and builds up the blood.

New research finds that the nitrates found in beet juice both widen blood vessels and increase blood flow to the brain.

In a study of 14 people over age 70 published in Nitric Oxide: Biology and Chemistry, the participants who ate a high-nitrate diet featuring beet juice showed increased blood flow to the white matter of the frontal lobes of their brains. Dementia and other related conditions are most commonly associated with the degradation of that part of the brain.

Source: WebMD

For more information on juicing, please visit our website.

Contact Lenses: Potential Problems With Long-Wearing Silicone Hydrogels

Researchers have found that people who wear silicone hydrogel (SH) contact lenses are likely to suffer corneal staining (mild abrasions of the eye), but that these situations rarely turn into more serious corneal infiltrative events. Corneal infiltrates are marked by eye discomfort, feeling like there is something in your eye, light sensitivity, and conjunctival hyperemia.

Factors likely to cause these more serious corneal infiltrates include smoking and the presence of bacteria on the lens. Smoking is a factor in the development of many other eye diseases as well – including everything from dark circles under your eyes to macular degeneration.

Silicone hydrogel lenses are purported to allow more oxygen to the eye and are designed for long term use (up to 3o days in some cases). SH lenses on the market include: Ciba Focus Night & Day, Acuvue Oasys, and Bausch and Lomb’s PureVision lenses.

Source: Medscape

Reduce Eye Pressure By Eating “Good Fats”

It is possible to reduce children’s intraocular pressure (or eye pressure) by ensuring that their diet is rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids and fiber. Children were studied because they had fewer concurrent medical issues than adults that would potentially skew results.

The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are key sources of endogenous prostaglandins (fat derived compounds that are essential to the body’s proper function). A diet rich in PUFAs helps aid eye health and reduces eye pressure, according to this study of information derived from the Singapore Cohort Study of Risk Factors for Myopia.

Researchers found that fiber helps to reduce upswings in blood glucose levels after eating.

Elevated intraocular pressure can lead to glaucoma and other damage to the optic nerve.

Source: https://www.pconsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=75563