Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Diabetic Retinopathy Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that is associated with diabetes. Diabetes as you can guess is a huge health concern. In fact in the United States in 2021 diabetes was found to be the 8th leading cause …
L Carnosine Plus Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Today we will be talking about a product you may have heard of. This product is L Carnosine. Now I just want to point out that in this blog I will be talking about L Carnosine not …
Glaucoma part 1
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Glaucoma is one eye condition that can become very dangerous very rapidly. If you notice symptoms that are coming on very rapidly it is imperative that you receive treatment to avoid any complications. Throughout this 2 part blog series I will be reviewing exactly what glaucoma is, as well as the different types and how they are diagnosed. I will also be reviewing the symptoms and risk factors. From there I will be reviewing the most common complications that can occur. Lastly I’ll be reviewing how to help reduce your risk factors and how you can help the symptoms of glaucoma that you experience.
What exactly is glaucoma? Now I bet your thinking – oooh I know, it’s an increase in the pressure in the eyes! While increased eye pressure does play a part in glaucoma it’s not the whole story. Glaucoma is an eye condition that damages the optic nerve. This is the nerve that brings visual information from your eyes to your brain. While this damage is often related to an increase in eye pressure it can happen with normal eye pressure.
There are 5 types of glaucoma. The first type is called open –angle glaucoma. This is the most common form of glaucoma. Basically what happens is that parts of the fluid drainage system in the eye don’t work properly. Thus the fluid builds up leading to an increase in eye pressure. (1) Please see the below picture to see what this looks like when compared to a healthy eye. (2)
The next type is called acute angle-closure glaucoma. You may have heard this referred to as closed angle glaucoma. This is where a bulging of the iris completely blocks drainage of fluid from the eye. This can cause pressure to increase rapidly in the eye. (1) For a picture of what this would look like compared to a healthy eye please see the following picture. (3)
The next type is called normal tension glaucoma. This is where the optic nerve becomes damaged, however the pressure in the eye is normal. It is theorized that the damage may be due to a reduction in blow flow to the nerve caused by atherosclerosis. (1)
Glaucoma can also occur in children, childhood glaucoma is another form of glaucoma. Children may be born with glaucoma or develop it. Lastly there is pigmentary glaucoma, which is where small pigment granules flake off from the iris and block or slow fluid drainage in the eye. This cause’s an increase in pressure over time. For what this may look like please see the attached picture. (4)
How are you diagnosed with glaucoma? The doctor may perform several tests to determine if you have glaucoma. First they can measure the intraocular pressure called tonometry. The doctor can also test for optic nerve damage by doing a dilated eye exam and imaging test. The doctor can also check for areas of vision by doing a visual field test. The doctor may do an exam called pachymetry to measure corneal thickness. Lastly the doctor may do gonioscopy to inspect the drainage angel. (5)
In our next blog we will cover symptoms, risk factors, complications and the best ways to reduce glaucoma risk factors and symptoms.
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Lutein Plus for the eyes and beyond! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In today’s blog I will be reviewing a very popular Invite product, Lutein Plus. Lutein Plus contains lutein, zeaxanthin and DHA. Let’s start with 2 of the most well-known eye studies, AREDS and …
Macular Degeneration part 2 Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In my last blog I began the conversation on macular degeneration. Today I’ll be finishing that important topic. Let’s start with the most common risk factors for macular degeneration. One of the largest risk factors for …
Grape Seed for our vision?
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
A simple internet search for grape seed will show you how amazing grape seed really is! In fact most people know some of the benefits of Grape Seed. But what they may not know is just how amazing it is for our eyes. Let’s get going, shall we?
Grape Seed extract contains powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants are called oligomeric proanthocyanidins complex’s (OPCs). This is important because so many of the benefits of Grape Seed extract come back to this point. Additionally it is important because there have been studies that have found the antioxidants found in Grape Seed to be much stronger than other antioxidants. In fact in 1 study people who took 300mg of grapeseed extract saw an increase in blood antioxidant activity in only 5 days! Moving on to how this correlates to eye health a study in 2012 found that having a healthy level of antioxidants can protect our eyes from oxidative damage. (1)
Let’s start with a familiar topic, cataracts! Studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help to delay cataract formation by protecting cells from oxidative damage. (2) Another study found that Grape Seed extract can slow the progression of cataract formation. (3) One last study that I’ll mention before moving on found that Grape Seed extract may slow or even prevent cataractogenesis (process of formation of a cataract) or even secondary cataract formation. (4)
Since I’ll be reviewing so many conditions that affect the eyes I’ll only be reviewing these as they relate to Grape Seed extract. One of those I’ll be reviewing in full soon is macular degeneration! Please look out for my blog on macular degeneration soon. According to the Macular Society oxidants in the eye, which may contribute to the development of macular degeneration can be reduced by antioxidants. (5) As I mentioned earlier in this blog Grape Seed extract is an amazingly powerful antioxidant! The next topic, which I’ll be reviewing soon is glaucoma. Now in one study Grape Seed extract was found to protect the retinal from damage in those with glaucoma. (6)
Diabetic retinopathy is a concern that all diabetics face. Now I do want to point out that it is important to make sure that your diabetes is under control to help reduce the damage that the high sugars can cause. For more information please check out my series on diabetes! Now moving on studies have found that Grape Seed extract may protect you from diabetic retinopathy. (7) Studies have also found that Grape Seed can help to protect the retina from injury due to diabetes and elevated blood sugar. (8)
Overall to sum things up studies have found that Grape Seed extract can help protect our eyes especially by reducing oxidative stress in our eyes. (9) Now where can you find Grape Seed in the Invite health line of products? Invite Health has a formula called Grape Seed Extract with 250mg of grape seed per capsule! Grape Seed is also found in the Daily Multi with Grape Seed. Lastly there is Grape Seed extract in all of Invite’s Resveratrol products. For help picking out the best products for your needs feel free to reach out to an Invite nutritionist!
Our next topic will be Macular Degeneration!
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