Dr. Grossman’s Blog

At Natural Eye Care, we know that eye conditions are often related to diseases that affect the entire body.  At a conference last year, Clement Trempe, MD reminded colleagues to consider the role of overall inflammation when diagnosing patients with diabetic retinopathy.

According to Dr. Trempe, “Diabetic retinopathy is not an eye disease, but part of a chronic systemic inflammatory disease process that shares the same risk factors and elevated biomarkers associated with coronary vascular and neurodegenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and Alzheimer’s.”

In line with our way of thinking, Dr. Trempe recommended prevention (see our “Prevention Protocol“). The doctor also emphasized the importance of proper diet, lifestyle, and nutrition (see our self-help recommendations and supplement tips).

Source: PCON Supersite March 1, 2010

image via nccam.nih.gov

As we know well at Natural Eye Care, taking care of dry eye syndrome is about more than just using eye drops.  In fact, it may never be about using eye drops.

An article over at PCON Supersite discusses some oral treatments for dry eyes. We recommend that our patients evaluate their diet and lifestyle choices and make some necessary changes as well as take the right dietary supplements.

Not only our eyes, but the entire body need essential fatty acids in the form of omega-6s and omega-3s.  Omega-6s help fight inflammation that can be an underlying cause of dry eyes and omega-3s make it possible for the body to use the fats in omega-6s.

According to the article’s author, Jeffrey Anshel, OD, the Institute of Medicine recommends we take in “four times as many omega-6 fatty acids as omega-3 fatty acids. It is currently estimated that the average American diet maintains a ratio of up to 25:1.”  This overabundance of omega-6s comes from the Western diet’s reliance on vegetable oils containing linoleic acid that are added to processed foods.  What we really need are fats in the form of  omega-6 gamma linolenic acid (GLA).  These can be found in black currant seed oil, borage oil and evening primrose oil, which are much more rarely found in the average American pantry.  A great source for omega-3s is fish oil.

Source originally published: PRIMARY CARE OPTOMETRY NEWS November 1, 2008

Image by Xandert

Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid, often causes eye problems.  It can cause inflammation around the eyes and cause the eyes to bulge in a condition called Graves’ ophthalmopathy or Graves’ orbitopathy.  Other symptoms include dry eyes, sensitivity to light, double vision, and eye pain.

A new Italian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that daily supplementation with the mineral selenium can help alleviate eye symptoms and increase overall quality of life.

This study watched people with Graves’ disease who took either selenium or the pharmaceutical pentoxifylline or a placebo over a 6 month period.  Selenium relieved symptoms and those who took it exhibited no side effects.  Some of those who took the drug reported side effects including nausea, bloating, and abdominal discomfort.

Source: drugs.com

Image by Beer

Traditional Chinese Medicine offers invaluable tools for diagnosing and treating conditions of the eyes.

This information is from a chapter of our book, A Comprehensive Manual for Practitioners of Oriental Medicine.

Image via USDA

Blueberries and their European cousins, bilberries, have long been used to regulate blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.  Recent studies of mice are convincing researchers of the bilberry’s potential in helping people deal with diabetes.

A study published in Nutrition Journal describes a trial involving the examination of the effect of consuming oat meal drinks that contained bilberries or rosehips on healthy young adults.  Researchers specifically looked at how these drinks influenced individuals’ glycemic indexes and insulin levels.  The drinks with bliberry induced a lower insulin response.  Scientists credit either the bilberry or the oat meal base.  Source: Nutrition Journal (Published: 21 May 2011).

Bilberries are also known to impact eye health in remarkably positive ways. mostly due to their antioxidant properties.  Studies show it has helped patients who suffer from diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, just to name a few conditions.

A new technology designed to detect glaucoma earlier may soon be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

According to press release from the manufacturing company, Paradigm Medical Industries, Inc., the Paramax is moving through the FDA approval process.  This machine is called “the next generation of standard ocular eletrophysiology utilized for early glaucoma detection.”  This device has been designed for office use and promises that it requires only 2 minutes to run a diagnostic test.

Source: http://www.paradigm-medical.com/

Learn more about who is at risk for developing glaucoma.

Image by Chefranden

Vitamin A plays a key role in the development of macular degeneration.  Researchers are working on the structure of vitamin A itself in an attempt reduce patients’ chances of losing their vision to AMD.

According to Columbia University Medical Center researchers, if it is possible to slow the aggregation or “clumping” of vitamin A within the eye, scientists might be able to discourage vision loss associated with macular degeneration.

As part of the natural biological processes in the eye, vitamin A undergoes a series of chemical transformations.  Molecules of vitamin A can combine with other vitamin A molecules to form clumpy deposits or “dimers.”  High levels of vitamin A dimers are present in elderly people with AMD, but they are also present in young children who develop the juvenile form of macular degeneration, Stargardt’s disease.

These animals studies are the first of their kind to produce positive results without causing vision loss and significant side effects.  Source: Journal of Biological Chemistry (Mar 11, 2011).

Image via USDA

The latest edition of Agricultural Research from the USDA is all about the powerful blueberry.

In one article, “Blueberries and Your Health: Scientists Study Nutrition Secrets of Popular Fruit,” researcher Xianli Wu describes his work with blueberries and their ability to reduce atherosclerosis.

“It’s already known that oxidative stress can increase atherosclerosis risk,” says Wu, “so the beneficial interactions of blueberries with these antioxidant enzymes are of interest to us. Since our center specializes in children’s nutrition research, we also want to determine whether blueberry-based interventions early in life could prevent atherosclerosis from developing in later years. If Mom eats blueberries during her pregnancy and feeds blueberries to her child, would that have a protective effect for the child? We don’t know, but that’s something we’d like to determine.”

Other studies have shown that diets rich in antioxidants – especially those found in blueberries – can be instrumental in helping people avoid macular degeneration.

Image via USDA

Insulin replacement is the main treatment for people with Type 1 diabetes.  A new study seeks to determine how the eyes are not helped through insulin therapies.

In a study of rodents’ retinas that appeared in BMC Medical Genomics, researchers investigated the effect of insulin on the eyes over a 1.5 year period.  This genome-level research showed that though insulin normalizes genes that have been impaired due to diabetes, the insulin therapies are not completely effective when it comes to helping inflammatory processes, microvascular integrity, and neuronal function.  Source: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedgenomics/

For further information on scientific studies related to diabetic retinopathy, visit our website.

Image by xptakis

Are cataracts just an inevitable part of getting older?  There is a lot of scientific research that indicates your diet and lifestyle choices actually have a lot to do with your risk of developing cataracts.

One study indicates that sugar of all kinds can impinge upon the eye’s ability to keep the lens clear.

Another study points to cigarettes as being a major cause of cataracts.  In fact, smoking is implicated as the cause 20% of all cataracts cases.  Men who smoke more than a pack a day increase their risk for cataracts by 205%!  For female smokers, that risk increases a still substantial 63%.

For more research studies on the causes of cataracts and how to prevent them, please visit our research pages.