Dr. Grossman’s Blog

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A proper diet is essential to maintaining eye health.  We know that the diets of the majority of Americans do not meet FDA nutritional guidelines and that many people do not eat an adequate amount of vegetable.

A study published in Nutrition Journal shows that 8 to 16 ounces of vegetable juice per day can reduce blood pressure in people who have hypertension. Source: http://www.nutritionj.com/content/9/1/38

We consider daily juicing of primarily organic vegetables and fruits to be an essential part of any long term healing program. Juicing provides a highly effective and efficient way for the body to be able to absorb essential nutrients into the blood and cells, taking a little as a few minutes for the body to start utilizing these nutrients.  Learn more about how you can make daily juice intake part of your life and increase your overall health.  Also, have a look at some specific juicing recipes for eye conditions and diseases.

Then great antioxidant properties of blueberries and blackberries has gotten a lot of press for good reason, but recent research shows that black rice is another powerful force of anthocyanin antioxidants. The results of this study were presented to the American Chemical Society.

According to Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the Department of Food Science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge, “Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants.”

Known as “Forbidden Rice” in China, this study focused on rice grown in Louisiana and is emphasizing the potential of growing this crop domestically.

Antioxidants are key to maintaining vision health.  Read more about food sources of nutrients that benefit the eyes.

Source: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Forbidden-rice-may-rival-blueberries-as-antioxidant-source

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced that it has approved new technology that could help improve vision to people age 75 or older with end-stage, age-related macular degeneration.

The Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) just approved by the FDA is a first-of-its kind device, according to the manufacturer, VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies.

To learn more, see the company’s on-line patient information booklet at www.centrasight.com

Editor’s Notes: For dietary and nutritional recommendations for those with AMD or those at risk, Click Here

We all grew up hearing that carrots were good for our eyes.  It’s the beta-carotene in carrots that helps your vision and it can also be found in spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, and mangoes.  The body turns beta-carotene into vitamin A which in turn protects the retina and lens from free radicals, unstable molecules that can cause cell damage.  Carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin also contribute to eye health and those can be found in green leafy vegetables, corn, and eggs.

Learn more about foods that prevent eye diseases at NaturalEyeCare.com‘s nutrition pages.

Recurrent erosion syndrome (RES) refers to repeated episodes of superficial spontaneous abrasions that cause eye pain. Erosions are “scratches” on the surface of the cornea. The cornea is more susceptible to scratches when the cells of the outer layer of the cornea are loosely attached to the underlying tissue. Often, there is no identifiable cause for these erosions.

Symptoms include mild to severe eye pain, redness, tearing, and light sensitivity and occasionally blurred vision. Most patients report symptoms after waking. During REM sleep, contact between the moving cornea and the eyelid can cause abrasions.

People who suffered an eye injury in the past, from a fingernail scratch or a paper cut, for example, are more likely to develop RES but the condition can point to an underlying case of  corneal dystrophy.

Source: Digital Journal of Opthamology

For more on how nutrition can promote eye health visit Natural Eye Care.

About 33 million Americans in all age groups experience varying degrees of dry eye symptoms. The symptoms may include dryness, grittiness, irritation, burning and even the seeming contradiction of excessive watering or tearing.

Dry eyes are a condition of the entire body, not just the eyes, and should be addressed as such, meaning that those who suffer from this condition should consider making changes to their diet and introducing nutritional supplements.  One of the most important aspects for people who suffer from dry eyes is the prohibition against sugar and/or artificial sweeteners. Sugar increases the risk for dry eyes.

For further information, please visit Dr. Grossman’s page on Dry Eye treatment and prevention.

Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) has unveiled its wide-view neurostimulator concept – a prototype bionic eye that will be implanted into Australia’s first recipient of the technology. BVA says that the prototype will deliver improved quality of life for patients suffering from degenerative vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. The implant, which consists of a miniature camera mounted on glasses that captures visual input, transforming it into electrical signals that directly stimulate surviving neurons in the retina, is currently undergoing testing. Says BVA, the device will enable recipients to perceive points of light in the visual field that the brain can then reconstruct into an image.

For more information, go to www.bionicvision.org.au

For more information on nutrition and vision, go to www.naturaleyecare.com

A 2007 study showed the low levels of Vitamin D3 is linked to an increase in the pevalence of macular degeneration.

Ref: Parekh N, Chappell RJ, Millen AE, Albert DM, Mares JA. Association Between Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 Through 1994. Arch Ophthalmol. May 2007;125: 661-669.

Editor’s Note: For more related studies on nutrition and macular degeneration, go to www.naturaleyecare.com/studies_bydisease.asp?s_num=8&disease=Macular+Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in aging Western populations.   A study measuring the benefits of lutein found that consuming lutein nutritional supplements improves visual function and symptoms in those suffering from AMD.

90 participants with AMD participated in a trial conducted at a midwestern Veterans Administration Hospital from August 1999 to May 2001.

For 12 months, patients in Group 1 received lutein supplements; in Group 2, a lutein plus an antioxidant/vitamin/mineral supplement; and in Group 3, a placebo.

Researchers found that participants in groups 1 and 2 displayed improvements in mean eye macular pigment optical density, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity.  Patients who received the placebo had no significant changes in any of the measured findings.

The study authors concluded that visual function is improved with lutein alone or lutein together with other nutrients.

Lutein is a naturally occurring carotenoid, and is found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale.

Learn more about lutein and other nutrients important for good eye health

Read more about macular degeneration (AMD)

SOURCE:  Double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial of lutein and antioxidant supplementation in the intervention of atrophic age-related macular degeneration: the Veterans LAST study (Lutein Antioxidant Supplementation Trial), Stiles, et al, Optometry. 2004 Apr;75(4):216-30.

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology suggests a diet heavy in red meat may increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia evaluated associations between red meat and chicken intake and AMD, in a cohort study of 6,734 people aged 58 to 69.  Meat intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire; bilateral digital macular photographs were taken and evaluated for AMD.  Of the group, 1,680 participants had cases of early AMD and 77 had cases of late AMD.

It was discovered that participants who ate 10 or more portions of red meat each week were nearly 50 percent more likely to experience deterioration of the retina.  Participants who consumed chicken at least three times a week reduced the risk by more than 50 percent.

Study authors suggested that “different meats may differently affect AMD risk and may be a target for lifestyle modification.”

Read more about food sources for nutrients that can help prevent macular degeneration

SOURCE:  “Red Meat and Chicken Consumption and Its Association With Age-related Macular Degeneration”, Chong, et al, American Journal of Epidemiology 2009 169(7):867-876.