Dr. Grossman’s Blog

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A recent article in the British Journal of Ophthalmology highlights the ways that gene therapies have great potential for helping individuals with eye diseases including retinitis pigmentosa,  Stargardt’s disease,  age-related macular degeneration, uveitis and glaucoma.

The eye is an ideal candidate for trials involving gene therapy because it is easily accessible, highly compartmentalised and immune-privileged (even when an antigen is introduced to the eye it will not trigger and inflammatory immune system response).

For further information on how gene therapies are impacting approaches to various eye conditions, please visit our research pages.

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“Take your vitamins” is almost always a good recommendation, but if you have retinitis pigmentosa (RP), you need to be a little choosy about which vitamins you take.

A 1993 study showed that taking 15,000 IU of vitamin A each day was very helpful for RP sufferers.  Taking any more vitamin A than this recommended dose did not appear to be beneficial.

On the other hand, taking vitamin E (the study focused on intake of 400 IU per day) can actually accelerate the course of the disease and cause vision to deteriorate at a faster rate.

For more information on this and other scientific studies related to the treatment and prevention of retinitis pigmentosa, visit our research index.

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CBS News is reporting that a implanted artificial retina has been approved by European health officials.

The device is offering partial sight to people who have become blind due to the condition retinitis pigmentosa.

The report describes how a man who had lost his sight completely at age 35 is now able to make out shapes and outlines.  As described by CBS: “The device starts with a tiny video camera mounted in a pair of glasses. A transmitter in the glasses sends the images to chip implanted on the back of the damaged eye. There, 60 electrodes send the image along the optic nerve straight to the brain.”

For more of the story and related video, click here.

Learn more about how natural treatments may help to prevent and slow the progression of retinitis pigmentosa.

Taking fish oil every day can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

A study published in The Journal of Nutrition studied women with early breast stage breast cancer who took omega fatty acids EPA and DHA in the form of both seafood and dietary supplements.  Women who took the most EPA and DHA were 25% less likely to suffer from further breast cancers compared to those in the study who took markedly less of the omega-3s.  Source: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/141/2/201.short?rss=1

This is great news – and it just adds to the already ample evidence about the benefits of fish oils.  Studies have also shown that omega-3 fatty acids can help ward off macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and dry eye syndrome, just to name a few.  Visit our research pages to learn more about how supplements and nutrition can benefit your eyes and the rest of your body.

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An implanted microchip placed beneath the retina of the eye has enabled blind people to see again.

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

This technology could change the lives of those suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. While we wait to see where science can take us, have a look at our prevention tips and natural treatment suggestions for retinitis pigmentosa.

Sometimes those bits of wisdom that “everybody knows” just have to be true.  In this case, yes, carrots really are good for your eyes.

A report at the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) – Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting described how beta carotene can help people with retinitis pigmentosa.

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Retinitis pigmentosa is a hereditary disease most often marked by the onset of nightblindness during childhood that eventually leads to a loss of peripheral and eventually in many cases blindness.  Previous research has shown beta carotene, 9-cis, can help treat night blindness.  In this study, one third of the retinitis pigmentosa patients under observation showed improved visual function after taking a beta carotene supplement for 90 days. Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/204979.php

Learn more about other natural therapies for retinitis pigmentosa at our website.

For further information on how the nutrients in food can help eye health and overall health, check out this page.

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 Ophthalmology showed 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.

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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.

For more information on retinitis pigmentosa research, visit our website.

Retinitis Pigmentosa (pigmentosis) is a progressive degenerative disorder of the retina that can cause a profound loss of vision. The typical symptoms include decreased night vision and peripheral vision, usually starting in the first or second decade of life.

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.

Learn more about antioxidants here.

Scientists at UC Irvine have created an early stage retina from human embryonic stem cells.  It is the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be made from stem cells and bring us closer to the development of transplant-ready retinas to treat eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration that affect millions.  Researchers managed to employ a technique that allowed them to create the multiple cell types necessary for the retina.

Source: Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 4-24-10.

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