Dr. Grossman’s Blog

Image courtesy of Vision2020.org

Today, Thursday, October 14 is World Sight Day.  Included on the World Health Organization’s official calendar, one of the main goals of this yearly occasion is to raise public awareness of blindness & vision impairment as major international public health issues.

Across the developing world, blindness is a huge issue.  Ninety percent of the world’s vision impaired people live in low income countries.  But so many eye problems – 80% according to World Sight Day organizers -  are preventable.  Vision2020 is dedicated to helping people across the globe.  Visit their site for details: http://www.vision2020.org/main.cfm

My work is dedicated to helping you prevent eye conditions that could lead to serious visual impairment such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or cataracts.

Take some time on this World Sight Day to educate yourself on how diet, exercise, supplementation, and an evaluation of your lifestyle habits could help you preserve the precious gift of sight.  Visit our page on preventing eye disease.

Request free eye exercises and tips tailored to your eye condition.

Keratoconus is the bulging of the cornea, a condition that occurs in approximately 100,000 – 150,000 people in the United States. Symptoms include visual distortion with and without eyeglasses and problems wearing standard contact lenses do not fit well.

Approximately 40-50 percent of Keratoconus patients have allergies. Allergies may contribute to the problem, but this is not confirmed in any studies. Magnesium deficiencies, which can cause a thinning of elastic membranes like the cornea, are linked to Keratoconus. Factors contributing to magnesium deficiency includes alcoholism, pregnancy, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, consumption of diuretics and stress. Low magnesium can cause a thinning of elastic membranes such as the cornea.

Conventional treatment indicates the use of gas permeable contact lenses (one needs to see a specialist that fits contacts for Keratoconus or, if severe, corneal transplant.

Our natural approach to eye disease treatment and prevention indicates that those suffering from keratoconus should consider taking recommended supplements and making proper life style changes that will improve overall health, and, by extension, vision health. These steps include: limiting the consumption of saturated fats, greasy fried foods, refined sugars and carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners (saccharine and aspartame); daily exercise; maintaining emotional health; limit caffeine and alcohol consumption; wear 100% UVA and UVB protecting wraparound sunglasses with a brimmed hat when you are outside.

To learn more about keratoconus and other eye disease, click here.

Stress has been implicated as a major cause of chronic glaucoma. Stress causes us to breath shallowly, thus reducing the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream, which then causes venous backflow in the head. This phenomenon effects the eyes’ ability to revolve eye fluids, which then results in increased pressure. Although we do not know exactly how the optic nerve is damaged in glaucoma, one common factor in all cases of glaucoma is a lack of bloodflow to the retina and optic nerve. This results in retinal nerve cell death, enlargement of the optic cup, and loss of vision.

Sufferers of glaucoma are often deficient in some or many of the important nutrients including essential fatty acids, lutein, zeaxanthin, taurine, alpha lipoic acid, antioxidants, bioflavenoids, zinc, selenium, vitamin B-complex.

For tips on managing stress and maintaining a diet that supports vision health as well as more information on glaucoma, please visit our website.