Dr. Grossman’s Blog

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.

The findings provide hope for treating blindness caused by optic-nerve damage, but
also look promising for spurring similar regeneration in the spinal cord and brain.
Researchers said Monday a newly discovered growth factor could hold the key to regenerating damaged optic nerves — and more. The research team at Children’s Hospital in Boston say they have found a naturally occurring, previously unrecognized growth factor that stimulates regeneration in injured optic nerves.
The findings provide hope for treating blindness caused by optic-nerve damage, but
also look promising for spurring similar regeneration in the spinal cord and brain,
they said.

The growth factor is called oncomodulin and when it was added to retinal nerve cells
in the lab, with known growth-promoting factors already present, the growth of axons
– or cells in the optic nerves — nearly doubled.

No other growth factor was as potent, the researchers said.

More Nerve Regeneration

In live rats with optic-nerve injury, oncomodulin released from tiny sustained-release
capsules increased nerve regeneration five- to seven-fold when given along with
a drug that helps cells respond to oncomodulin, the team said.

Oncomodulin also appears to switch on a variety of genes associated with axon growth,
the researchers said.

“Out of the blue, we found a molecule that causes more nerve regeneration than
anything else ever studied,” said one of the study investigators. We expect
this to spur further research into what else oncomodulin is doing in the nervous
system and elsewhere.

The data are published in the May 14 online edition of Nature Neuroscience.

For more related research, go to www.naturaleyecare.com (see “Research” section).

A research study shows that people with open-angle glaucoma (POAG) had significantly higher levels of homocysteine (Hcy) levels in their tear fluids. Patients with open-angle glaucoma who also had dry eye disease had significantly higher Hcy levels both in tear fluid and plasma than POAG patients without dry eye disease.

SOURCE: Roedl JB, Bleich S, Schlotzer-Schrehardt U, et al. Increased homocysteine levels in tear fluid of patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. Ophthalmic Res 2008;40(5):249-56

Editor’s Note: People with elevated homocysteine levels are more likely to have strokes, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, kidney disease, diseases of the eye, erectile dysfunction, and, especially, heart disease (De Bree A et al 2002).

Homocysteine level is affected by a number of influences, including lifestyle, dietary choices, and genetics. As we age, our ability to absorb nutrients decreases. As a result, less of the important B vitamins are available to help metabolize homocysteine. Homocysteine level is also increased by certain pharmaceuticals, an aging metabolism, smoking, drinking too much alcohol or coffee, lack of exercise, obesity, and stress.

Supplementation of certain B vitamins can help reduce homocysteine levels including folic acid, and Vitamins B6 amd B12. To varying degrees, folic acid and vitamin B12 increase the remethylation of homocysteine back into SAMe. Vitamin B6 is necessary for the conversion of homocysteine into glutathione along the transsulfuration pathway.

See more glaucoma research