Meso-zeaxanthin and Macular Degeneration Prevention

Meso-zeaxanthin and Macular Degeneration Prevention

A supplement of meso-zeaxanthin may bolster macular pigment optical density (MPOD), according to researchers from Florida International University (Nutr Metab . 2007;4:12) (DOI:10.1186/1743-7075-4-12). Lutein and zeaxanthin have been the primary focus of research trials exploring how the xanthophyll carotenoids can support macular pigment and possibly prevent onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Meso-zeaxanthin is the third major carotenoid found in macular pigment.

 

Update on Meso-Zeaxanthin

A new study, known as Meso-zeaxanthin ocular supplementation trial (MOST), begins in late March 2010 and the clinical research team are currently recruiting suitable candidates. The specialists involved in the trial are research experts in this area of eye disease. The trial requires 60 patients who have been diagnosed with early AMD. After a complimentary eye screening by an IVR Ophthalmologist, suitable candidates will be enrolled into the trial and provided with a 12-month course of dietary supplements containing the macular pigments.

For further information on AMD or on the MOST trial being conducted at the Institute of Vision Research, please contact: Eithne Connolly, Clinical Research Technician, on 051 302153 or at eithneativr.ie

Editor’s Note: Recent studies have shown that the carotenoid mesozeaxanthin, in the family of lutein and zeaxanthin,  is used as an antioxidant directly in the center of the retina. Hopefully this study will further confirm that this nutrient along with a family of other essential nutrients helps preserve vision for those with macular degeneration.

Studies Show Relationship of Blood Pressure and Glaucoma

Studies Show Relationship of Blood Pressure and Glaucoma

Glaucoma may continue to progress after the reduction of IOP to targeted levels. Research is providing increasing support for the idea that vascular risk factors may be the cause.

Several population-based studies have suggested that low diastolic perfusion pressure is associated with an increased
incidence of open-angle glaucoma (OAG). Perfusion pressure is defined as the difference between arterial and venous pressure, which, in the eye, by convention equals IOP. Blood pressure and IOP are therefore the principal components of ocular perfusion pressure (perfusion pressure = blood pressure – IOP).

• Choi J, Kim KH, Jeong J, et al. Circadian fluctuation of mean ocular perfusion pressure is a consistent risk factor
for normal-tension glaucoma. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2007;48:104-111.
• Tielsch JM, Katz J, Sommer A, et al. Hypertension, perfusion pressure, and primary open-angle glaucoma. A population-based
assessment. Arch Ophthalmol. 1995;113:216-221.
• Leske MC, Connell AM, Wu SY, et al. Risk factors for open-angle glaucoma. The Barbados Eye Study. Arch Ophthalmol.
1995;113:918-924.
• Hulsman CA, Vingerling JR, Hofman A, et al. Blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and open-angle glaucoma: the Rotterdam study.
Arch Ophthalmol. 2007;125:805-812.

Perfusion pressure can be affected by IOP and blood pressure, but which is really the most important? In a given patient, it
could be IOP alone, blood pressure alone, or a combination of the two.

For more information on ways to help preserve optic nerve health, go to www.naturaleyecare.com

Stop the Spread of Germs in School to Limit Colds and Flu

Now that children are headed back to school, it’s time to brush up on the best ways to avoid seasonal flu and other illness.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published information on its web site to help parents keep their children healthy.

First, the facts:

  • Approximately 1/5 of the U.S. population attends or works in schools. (U.S. Dept of Ed, 1999).
  • Some viruses and bacteria can live from 20 minutes up to 2 hours or more on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. (Ansari, 1988; Scott and Bloomfield, 1989)
  • Nearly 22 million school days are lost annually due to the common cold alone. (CDC, 1996)

Illnesses like colds and flu are generally spread from person to person in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes.  This can happen when droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air and land on the mouth or nose of people nearby.  Sometimes germs can be spread when a person touches another person’s respiratory droplets on a surface such as a desk and then touches his or her own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

The CDC urges parents to teach children the following common sense rules:

Avoid close contact
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

Stay home when you are sick
Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick to help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and then throw the tissue away.  If you don’t have a tissue, cover your cough or sneeze and then clean your hands each time you cough or sneeze.

Clean your hands
Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 15 to 20 seconds. That’s about the same time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.  When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits
Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food

The CDC website also provides recommendations for who should get the flu vaccine.

SOURCE:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/flu/school/

New device allows the blind to ‘see’ with their tongues

New device allows the blind to ‘see’ with their tongues.

Fascinating work being done at Dr. William Seiple at Lighthouse International in New York City. This device uses a patch that sits on the tongue, and vibrates in different ways depending on what the camera mounted on the glasses picks up. With training, one can “teach” the brain to pick up visual images based on the vibration being received.

This device can an even be used by people who have been blind from birth.

For more information on natural ways to help preserve vision, go to www.naturaleyecare.com

New Macular Degeneration Research: Scientists Grow New Retinal Cells

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have successfully grown light-sensing retinal cells from human skin cells. 

The ability to grow retinal cells may someday be used to treat degenerative eye diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa by enabling doctors to repair damage to the retina with new cells generated from the patient’s skin.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin manipulated human skin cells to act like embryonic stem cells, which can be used to grow into any tissue in the body. 

The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, indicates that the ability to create human retinal cells helps researchers better understand how eyes develop, enabling them to better treat genetic eye conditions.

SOURCE:  Modeling early retinal development with human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, Meyer, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/08/24/0905245106.abstract

Pesticide Use Linked to Retinal Degeneration

Scientists have found an association between fungicide use and retinal degeneration in the wives of farmers who are pesticide applicators. Researchers had already found an association with retinal degeneration among the farmers themselves in the Agricultural Health Study, a large study of farm families from Iowa and North Carolina.

Researchers reviewed data from questionnaires given to 31,173 women from 1993 to 1997 to determine whether wives of these farmer pesticide applicators were at increased risk of retinal degeneration. This information was evaluation to determine associations of specific pesticides and groups of pesticides based on function (fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and fumigants) or chemical structure (organophosphates, organochlorines, and carbamates) with eye disorders.

Their findings suggest that exposure to some fungicides and other pesticides may increase the risk of retinal degeneration; specific fungicides that appeared to drive this association were maneb or mancozeb and ziram.

Study authors noted that although these findings for retinal degeneration are based solely on self-reported disease, they are consistent with those reported for farmer pesticide applicators.

Learn more about macular degeneration at the Natural Eye Care website

SOURCE: Retinal Degeneration and Other Eye Disorders in Wives of Farmer Pesticide Applicators Enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study, Kirrane, et al, American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 161(11):1020-1029; doi:10.1093/aje/kwi140

Parents — Are You Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight?

Survey by The College of Optometrists finds 76% of parents do not protect their children’s eyes in the sun.

A new survey of 2000 British families shows that parents are risking their child’s eyesight by exposing them to bright sunlight without appropriate protection.  Over three-quarters of parents questioned admitted to not making sure their child wears sunglasses when out in the sun.

Overexposure to sunlight can damage the retina and lens of the eye, increasing the risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and other eye conditions later in life.  According to the World Health Organization, up to 80% of exposure to UV over a person’s lifetime occurs before the age of 18, so it is crucial that children wear sunglasses to minimize long-term damage.

The survey found that while 43% of parents ensure their child’s time in the sun is limited and 76% make sure they apply sunscreen to their child, buying sunglasses appears to be a much lower priority:  29% of those questioned do not even buy sunglasses for their children.  Of those who do, only 25% choose sunglasses from a reputable brand or supplier, and 46% of parents surveyed choose price over protection when selecting sunglasses.

Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser at The College of Optometrists, stated: “I am shocked to see that so many parents aren’t ensuring that their child’s eyes are protected in the sun, and am equally astounded to see that of those who do, many are opting for ‘cheap and cheerful’ over quality.”

The College of Optometrists recommends purchasing good quality, dark sunglasses that guarantee a safe level of UV protection.

SOURCE:  Parents Risk their Children’s Eyesight in the Sun, The College of Optometrists, August 18, 2009, http://www.college-optometrists.org

Aerobic Exercise Beneficial for Glaucoma Patients

Scientists in Greece have released results of a study in which they questioned whether there should be limits on exercise with regard to effects on inter-ocular pressure (IOP) of the eyes.  This study, published in the August issue of BMC Ophthalmology, found that people with glaucoma do not need to limit exercise, as IOP decreased during aerobic activity.
145 participants were given a preliminary ophthalmologic exam.  45 participants had primary (open-angle) glaucoma; 100 did not have glaucoma.  The IOP of both eyes was measured before and after exercise (biking or jogging).

A significant decrease in IOP was found during exercise.  Researchers found that the aerobic exercise reduced  IOP in those eyes in which a b-blocker, a prostaglandin analogue or an alpha-agonist were previously instilled. The IOP was also decreased in glaucoma patients who were already under anti-glaucoma treatment.

Study authors determined that glaucoma patients benefited from aerobic exercise regardless of the anti-glaucoma medication instilled, as all participants had a post-exercise reduction of IOP.

Learn more about glaucoma natural treatment options.

SOURCE:  Aerobic exercise and intraocular pressure in normotensive and glaucoma patients, Natsis, et al, BMC Ophthalmology 2009, 9:6doi:10.1186/1471-2415-9-6.

New Glaucoma Treatments May be on the Horizon

Glaucoma Eye Drops

A team of Italian researchers may have developed a new type of eye drop for glaucoma treatment, according to an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Researchers noted that elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in glaucoma leads to loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) as well as damage to the optic nerve.  Although IOP is controlled with medication, no treatment is currently available to restore retinal and optic nerve function.

In this new study, rats with glaucoma were treated with the eye drops containing a protein known as nerve growth factor.   When researchers determined that these drops prevented nerve degeneration in these rats, human tests were initiated on three patients with advanced glaucoma.

After three months of treatment all three participants showed improvements in visual sharpness and ability to detect contrast.  Two of the three participants showed improved visual fields, while the visual field stabilized for the third.

The team, led by Alessandro Lambiase of the University of Rome, reported that improvements were still evident three months after the treatments were finished.

SOURCE:  Experimental and clinical evidence of neuroprotection by nerve growth factor eye drops: Implications for glaucoma, Lambiase, et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Aug. 3, 2009.

Ultrasound Treatment for Glaucoma

Eye Tech Care, a French company, is testing a new way to treat glaucoma using ultrasound technology. The device would treat the ciliary body (the part of the eye that produces humour, the watery fluid that fills the front part of the eye) in order to decrease the amount of fluid in the eye, and, by extension, reduce the intraocular pressure within the eye.

The device has only been tested on twelve patients suffering from the rare refractory glaucoma, but if trials are successful they may begin testing it on the more common open angle glaucoma.  About 25 years ago researchers tried to use ultrasound technology to treat animals, but the technology of the time was too limited.

According to the International Glaucoma Association, which reported on this new development, ultrasound treatment for glaucoma would be quicker and less invasive than the current Argon laser procedures currently used to treat the disease.

Carnosine combats cataracts

Carnosine combats cataracts

In the July 28, 2009 issue of the journal Biochemistry, Italian researchers report that the dipeptide carnosine shows promise not only in preventing cataracts but also in helping to treat the condition. Cataracts, which are characterized by a clouding of the eye’s lens, are a major cause of visual impairment among older men and women, and surgery is currently the only effective treatment.

Enrico Rizzarelli of the University of Catania and his colleagues tested the effects of D- and L-carnosine on bovine cultured alpha-crystallin, the major structural protein in the lens of the eye. The cultures were treated with guanidine, a compound that is known to cause cataracts via the formation of alpha-crystallin fibrils. Co-incubation of the cultures with carnosine helped inhibit fibrillation, and the addition of carnosine to pre-existing fibrils was found to almost completely dissolve them.

UPDATE

Researchers have replicated earlier studies demonstrating that eyedrops which include 1% n-acetyl-carnosine are helpful for supporting lens health, a factor in cataracts. Research also indicates these eyedrops may also be helpful for the health of the macula, retina, and optic nerve.

Published: Dr. Babizhayev, et al, N-Acetylcarnosine Lubricant Eyedrops Possess All-In-One Universal Antioxidant Protective Effects of L-Carnosine in Aqueous and Lipid Membrane Environments, Aldehyde Scavenging, and Transglycation Activities Inherent to Cataracts: A Clinical Study, American Journal of Therapeutics;16(6):517-533).

Editor’s Note: For information on Can-C eyedrops (1% n-acetyl-carnosine eyedrops), go to Can-C eyedrops