Natural Eye Care Blog: News & Research on Vision

Myopia More Likely to Develop in Kids Who Do “Near Work”

Scientists have been working to determine whether close, detailed work really can “ruin your eyes.” We do agree that myopia (farsightedness) can be cause or exacerbated by excessive time spent at close-up work such as work on computers, sewing, accounting, jewelry work.

A study out of Turkey compared two groups of twelve year old boys – students engaged in “near-work” and apprentices working as skilled laborers. Researchers publishing in Vision Research say “This prospective and controlled study suggested that reading and near work, important environmental factors, might cause refractive myopic shifts in emmetropic (having perfect vision) students.

Source: PubMed

For more on the causes of myopia and ways to prevent it, visit our website.

Medical Literacy: Getting the Information You Need At Your Next Visit to the Doctor

doctor and patient — Image from genome.gov

An editorial in Glaucoma Today speaks to doctors about being careful to make sure patients understand all of the medical information set before them so that they can make informed choices and best take care of their own conditions. The author, Eydie Miller-Ellis, MD, gives her colleagues the following check list to keep in mind:

1. Slow down. Communication can be improved by speaking slowly and by spending a small amount of additional time with each patient.
2. Use plain, nonmedical language.
3. Show or draw pictures. Visual images can improve the patient’s recall of information.
4. Limit the amount of information provided—and repeat it.
5. Use the “teach-back” technique. Confirm that patients understand by asking them to repeat back instructions.
6. Create a shame-free environment. Encourage questions.

If your eye doctor, or any other medical professional that you visit, has not read this article, you may be able to use these points to your own advantage (teach the teacher, if you will) so that you walk out of your appointment empowered and informed.

Ask the doctor to slow down and speak in terms that make sense to you. Do not be afraid to ask questions. You are your own best advocate and, when it comes to going home and self-administering medications like those you may be prescribed for glaucoma or other conditions, your ability to follow the doctor’s instructions can play a vital role in your health.

LASIK Surgery Worsens Dry Eye Symptoms

If you have dry eye symptoms before undergoing LASIK surgery, the problem is very likely to persist, if not worsen, after laser eye surgery. According to an article published in The Archives of OphthalmologyTear function and dry eye symptoms improve within several postoperative months in most cases; however, some patients still have dry eye 1 year after undergoing LASIK. Although the mechanisms for post-LASIK dry eye are unclear, more severe post-LASIK dry eye may develop in patients with preoperative dry eye for longer periods compared with subjects without preoperative dry eye.” (Source: https://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2002/E/20023091.html)

LASIK surgery temporarily disrupts the ocular surface/lacrimal gland unit. Also, during LASIK, roughly 60-70% of the superficial nerve fibers in the cornea are severed, which impacts sensation and affects acqueous tears. With compromised sensation, the blink rate can slow to the point where the tear film breaks up before the next blink can reconstitute. This may result in mild to severe dry eye syndrome for many months after surgery. This condition usually eventually clears up.

For more on dry eye causes and treatments, visit our website.

4 Conditions That Can Contribute to Glaucoma

Hypothyroidism

A study of 600 men with recent a diagnosis of glaucoma were shown to be twice as likely to have hypothyroidism than a similar portion of the population without the eye disease. Researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Birmingham, Alabama assert that there seems to be a convincing correlation be correlation between glaucoma and an under-active thyroid.

When this study was published the authors were not ready to state whether thyroid replacement therapy would help fend off glaucoma.

We recommend considering natural approaches to the treatment of hypothyroidism including iodine supplementation and limiting exposure to lead and other chemicals.

Source: scienceblog.com

Hypertension
Researchers tie blood pressure and ocular perfusion pressure to glaucoma

Although intraocular pressure (IOP) is considered a primary risk factor for the development of glaucoma, there is evidence to suggest that glaucoma may continue to progress despite lowering patients’ IOP to targeted levels.

Several recent studies point to vascular risk factors in the development of glaucoma. This new research indicates that blood pressure (BP) and ocular perfusion pressure have become increasingly important in understanding and treating glaucoma.

Although doctors cannot currently visualize ocular blood flow directly, they can easily measure glaucoma patients’ BP and IOP to calculate their ocular perfusion pressure and quantify the vascular changes.

An article published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology explores the relationships between BP and IOP, BP and glaucoma, and perfusion pressure and glaucoma. Study authors suggest that ocular perfusion pressure and its fluctuation may be parameters that need to be measured in the treatment of glaucoma patients.

Learn more about glaucoma, including self-help tips

SOURCE: Blood Pressure and Glaucoma, Costa, et al, Br J Ophthalmol, 30 March 2009, doi:10.1136/bjo.2008.149047.

Thyroid Link
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham believe that thyroid disorders may increase the risk of glaucoma. Their study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, reviewed data from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey to quantify the association between a self-reported diagnosis of glaucoma and a self-reported history of thyroid problems.

Of the 12,376 survey participants, 4.6% reported glaucoma, and 11.9% reported a history of thyroid problems. The prevalence of glaucoma among those who reported thyroid problems was 6.5% compared with 4.4% among those who did not report thyroid problems. This association between glaucoma and thyroid problems remained after adjusting for differences in age, gender, race and smoking status.

The results of this study lend support to the hypothesis that thyroid disorders may increase the risk of glaucoma. Although further research on the topic is expected, study authors suspect that hypothyroidism may diminish outflow in the eye.

SOURCE: The association between thyroid problems and glaucoma, Cross, et al, British Journal of Ophthalmology 2008;92:1503-1505.

Herpes Virus
Three of the eight strains of the herpes virus can cause vision loss, including varicella zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox and also shingles, and herpes simplex virus-1 and -2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2). Shingles, which can affect older adults who have had chickenpox earlier in their lives, is marked by a rash that wraps around one side of the body, generally on the face or trunk. When the rash appears on the face it can affect the corneal tissue and this can lead to keratitis (inflammation and scarring of the cornea), inflammation of the retina or optic nerve, glaucoma, or cataracts, any of which may also result in blurred vision or blindness.

Both HSV-1 (transferred through saliva) and HSV-2 (genital) can cause ocular herpes, a recurrent infection, and the most common cause of corneal blindness in the United States. Once people develop ocular herpes, they have a 50% chance of recurrence within weeks or years, possibly triggered by fever, stress, sunlight, or eye injury. Approximately 400,000 Americans have ocular herpes, with 50,000 new or recurring cases every year. In 12% of cases, both eyes are affected.

Source: https://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/vision/1538-1.html

New Diagnostic Tools for Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration in Development

Scientists have found a new way to screen patients for common eye diseases using LED technology. An article in Review of Scientific Instruments describes the new system which uses six different wavelengths of light to illuminate the eyeball.

Using light-absorbing compounds already present in the eye, researchers are finding a way to capture better diagnostic images by working with the way different pigments appear in multispectral images. One advantage of this new diagnostic procedure is its speed – it can capture images quickly enough to avoid distortion caused by natural eye movements.

It is hoped that this technology can be developed further and be made widely available to optometrists and ophthalmologists seeking the best diagnostic tool for their patients when screening for such eye diseases as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Source: scienceblog.com

Researchers from around the country are working together to adapt the technologies that allow astronomers to observe distant galleries so that eye doctors can better examine the retina even through imperfections on the lens and cornea. These adaptive optics–optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) systems could be the wave of the future for eye disease diagnosis.

Source: Scientific American.

Myopia in Children: Bifocals or Natural Strategies

A study published in Archives of Ophthalmology claims that bifocals may slow the deterioration of vision in children with myopia.

Researchers fitted 135 myopic Chinese Canadian children with standard single vision glasses, traditional executive bifocals, and bifocals with prism lenses. (Prism lenses help to make the two eyes work together and help the eyes focus.) The children wearing prism bifocals experienced the least vision deterioration followed by those wearing the regular bifocals. The outcomes for the bifocal wearers were significantly better than for those wearing standard glasses.

We believe that a diagnosis of myopia does not mean a lifetime of stronger and stronger glasses. Nearsightedness can be improved in a majority of cases through vision therapy, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.

Contact Lens Recall Affects Asian & European Markets

Johnson & Johnson Vision Care has initiated a voluntary recall of its 1-Day Acuvue TruEye contact lenses made of narafilcon A. According the Associated Press, these lenses were only distributed in Japan and parts of Asia and Europe, according to the AP; 100,000 boxes in total have been recalled. No consumers in either the U.S. or Canada should be effected (the North American lenses are made of narafilcon B).

The recall is bases on a limited number of user complaints related to a stinging sensation felt when the lenses were placed on the eye. According to Johnson and Johnson the problem stems from a malfunctioning manufacturing line in Ireland.

This is the eighth recall of a J & J product in the last year including children’s Tylenol and other cold and pain medications. The company is currently under investigation by the U.S. Congress.

Source: AP https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gKNufIGxLdxRyZ8TPAzFIe83oA1gD9HPEJA01

Antioxidants Proven to Benefit Health

We believe strongly in the healing power of antioxidants, specifically in how they can help maintain and improve eye health.

You may have heard about a 2007 analysis of data related to antioxidants that said taking antioxidant supplements increases one’s mortality risk. A new analysis of available data shows that the previous study published in Journal of the American Medical Association that said the caused a 16% increase in mortality was incorrect.

In fact, 36% of the trials showed a positive outcome or that the antioxidant supplements were beneficial, 60% showed antioxidants had no effect, and only 4% published a negative outcome.

The new study says that those with nutritional deficiencies will benefit most from antioxidant supplements. Also, too much of a good thing can just be a waste of money – there appears to be a threshold above which additional supplement intake has no effect.

Source: Nutraingredients

Antioxidants can help to prevent or treat many eye conditions including: macular degeneration and cataracts.

Antioxidant Qualities of Black Rice

Then great antioxidant properties of blueberries and blackberries has gotten a lot of press for good reason, but recent research shows that black rice is another powerful force of anthocyanin antioxidants. The results of this study were presented to the American Chemical Society.

According to Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, “Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants.”

Known as “Forbidden Rice” in China, this study focused on rice grown in Louisiana and is emphasizing the potential of growing this crop domestically.

Antioxidants are key to maintaining vision health. Read more about food sources of nutrients that benefit the eyes.

Retinitis Pigmentosa Improves With Vitamin, Supplement Intake

Retinitis Pigmentosa (pigmentosis) is a progressive degenerative disorder of the retina that can cause a profound loss of vision. Various hereditary patterns have been reported. This disease affects 1 out of 3700 people.

A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmologyshowed that taking 15,000 IU of Vitamin A per day can slow the progression of retinitis pigmentosa. On the other hand, this same study showed that taking Vitamin E supplements actually accelerated vision decline.

The conventional medical opinion posits that there is no treatment or cure for retinitis pigmentosa, but we believe that a progressive approach to maintaining a healthful diet and lifestyle can slow down RP, and, in some cases, even help to preserve vision. In addition to Vitamin A, supplementing the diet with lutein, omega-3 fatty acids, other antioxidants and COQ10 have all been shown to benefit RP sufferers.

Other Antioxidants

A 2006 study found that high doses of antioxidants (vitamins E, C, alpha lipoic acid others) significantly reduced oxidative damage in cones, increased cone cell density and preserved cone function. These results, according to the Johns Hopkins authors, suggest that the gradual cone death that occurs after rod cells die is due to oxidative damage, and that antioxidants could provide benefit those suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa.