Dr. Grossman’s Blog

A recent study published in the journal “Archives of Ophthalmology” showed an inverse link between vitamin C and cataracts. This Indian study was a population-based cross-sectional analytic study measuring the plasma vitamin C levels in 5638 people 60 years of age or older. These people were checked for cataracts and type of cataracts.

Low levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, retinol and vitamin C all showed to be correlated to cataracts. However, low vitamin C levels had by far the strongest association and were also consistent by type of cataract.

Ref: Ophthalmology. 2011;118(10):1958-1965

Editor’s Note: For more related information, go to Cataracts and Nutrition, Diet, Lifestyle

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

New study found that medications that increase sensitivity to the sun,  including antidepressants, diuretics, antibiotics and the pain reliever naproxen sodium (commonly sold over-the-counter as Aleve) increase the risk of age-related cataract.

The results of this study will be in the publication in the August print issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Editor’s Notes: The lens cells are similar to skin cells which may be why additional light sensitivity can contribute to or cause cataracts.

For more information on nutrition, diet and cataracts, Click Here

“Floaters” are those small dark shapes that appear before your eyes and float through your field of vision.  Floaters are often the result of vitreous tears or detachments often experienced by seniors, but for some these clumps of protein can be the result of candidiasis, an overgrowth of the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans. Antibiotics, birth control pills, and an improper diet can all lead to candidiasis. The best way to start to counteract yeast overgrowth and the eye floaters and other health issues that this condition can cause is by eliminating sugar and yeast containing foods from the diet and introducing probiotics.

In an analysis of the genes of more than 1,000 patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an international team of scientists discovered a strong association between the vision problem and the presence of a new gene.

The new gene connection is with hepatic lipase gene LIPC, a critical enzyme in the metabolism of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The study also noted strong associations between advanced AMD and other single nucleotide polymorphisms in the same lipid pathway, but the other finding showed a much stronger, genome-wide significance.

Abstract Title: Genome-Wide Association Study of Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration Identifies a New Susceptibility Locus in the Lipid Metabolism Pathway, Hepatic Lipase (LIPC)

For information on natural ways to help preserve vision for those with macular degeneration, Click Here

Study shows supplementing with zeaxanthin (a carotenoid in the lutein family) can raises macula pigment optical density (MP) and has unique visual benefits for patients with atrophic early AMD having visual symptoms.

Zeaxanthin can be found in dark, leafy greens (like turnip greens, collard greens, kale, spinach and romaine lettuce). Orange peppers are the highest source of zeaxanthin.

The Zeaxanthin and Visual Function Study in Atrophic Age Related Macular Degeneration (ZVF-FDA IND #78,973) – MP and Foveal Shape Discrimination: S.P. Richer1, W. Stiles1, M. Lavin, K. Graham1, C. Thomas1, D. Park3. J. Nyland1, J Wrobel

For more related studies, click on the “Research” link at www.naturaleyecare.com

Many research studies show the value of supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin in helping to preserve vision for those with macular degeneration. Additional studies show mesozeaxanthin (a member of the lutein family), as an essential nutrient for helping preserve vision for those with macular degeneration, used in the eyes as an antioxidant in the center of the macular where our detailed vision comes from.

The referenced study is one of 3 completed to date demonstrating the value of supplementing with this mesozeaxanthin.

Nutrition & Metabolism 2007, 4:12doi:10.1186/1743-7075-4-12

For more information on related research, go to http://www.naturaleyecare.com/studies_bydisease.asp?s_num=8&disease=Macular+Degeneration

A vitamin E packed contact lens has the potential of preserving the vision of people being treated for glaucoma. While the contact lens can’t repair damage that has been done, it can prevent any further decline in vision.

Typically open angle glaucoma is treated with eyedrops.  The new contact lenses would allow for a slow release of the medication and hold the medicines in place which would allow for the medicine to reach the targeted areas within the eye.

Vitamin E is the mighty component that allows for this slow release of the medication. Not only does the Vitamin E aid in delivering the medication to the eye, it also has the added benefit of protecting the eye from sun damage, since ultra-violet radiation is blocked by Vitamin E.

The trials so far have been done on animals, but shows promise for human use.

Editor’s Note: For natural ways to help preserve vision for those with glaucoma or at a high risk for getting glaucoma, go to www.naturaleyecare.com/glaucoma

A new study, known as Meso-zeaxanthin ocular supplementation trial (MOST), begins in late March 2010 and the clinical research team are currently recruiting suitable candidates. The specialists involved in the trial are research experts in this area of eye disease. The trial requires 60 patients who have been diagnosed with early AMD. After a complimentary eye screening by an IVR Ophthalmologist, suitable candidates will be enrolled into the trial and provided with a 12-month course of dietary supplements containing the macular pigments.

For further information on AMD or on the MOST trial being conducted at the Institute of Vision Research, please contact: Eithne Connolly, Clinical Research Technician, on 051 302153 or at eithneativr.ie

Editor’s Note: Recent studies have shown that mesozeaxanthin is another carotenoid in the family of lutein and zeaxanthin essential for macular degeneration, and is used as an antioxidant directly in the center of the retina. Hopefully this study will further confirm that this nutrient along with a family of other essential nutrients helps preserve vision for those with macular degeneration. For more related studies, Click Here

Substances found in green tea work their way into the tissues of the eye and could protect against common eye diseases like glaucoma, researchers say.

The findings, published in the current issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, suggest that the substances, known as catechins, are absorbed by the lens, retina and other parts of the eye. Catechins are antioxidants thought to protect the body against damage from oxygen.
The study authors gave green tea to rats and then tested their eyes to see if catechins affected them. They did, reducing oxidative stress in the eye for up to 20 hours.

Editor’s Note: For more related information on nutrition and glaucoma, go to www.naturaleyecare.com/glaucoma