Dr. Grossman’s Blog

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.

Image via maine.gov

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.

Photo by Furryscaly

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.

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