Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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 …
Macular Degeneration part 1
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Macular Degeneration is more common than you might think. In fact according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology age related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of vision loss in those age 50 and older! Now I am sure you noticed this is labeled part 1. This is because I wanted to really get into depth with exactly what macular degeneration is and I did not feel that one part would really do that justice. Anyhoo when most people hear macular degeneration the first thing that pops into their mind is that macular degeneration is a buildup of drusen. While drusen is a big part of macular degeneration it’s not the entire picture. Macular degeneration is a loss of central vision. However there is typically no loss or change in peripheral vision. There are 2 main reasons why this vision loss occurs and these are due to the 2 different forms of macular degeneration. (1) The 1st form is called wet macular degeneration. This form only accounts for approximately 10% of all cases. (2) While this form is less common it is more severe and you will typically loose vision faster. Now what happens when you have wet macular degenerations is new abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina. These new vessels are “leaky” and blood as well as other fluids leak out and this causes the macula to be scarred. Now the other form is much more common and accounts for approximately 80 % of all cases. This is called dry macular degeneration. This is where drusen is important. When you have dry macular degeneration parts of the macula grow thinner and tiny clumps of drusen grow leading to a loss of central vision. (1) To sum things up both forms of macular degeneration lead to changes and eventual loss of central vision. However their underlying mechanism is different (increase in leaky blood vessels vs drusen). What does this look like? Please see the attached picture for a comparison. (3)
Macular degeneration is a prime example of a very series condition that can have either very subtle or even no early warning signs. It is a prime example of why regular eye screenings are so important. What are some of the symptoms you may experience? At 1st you may have trouble seeing in low light. You may notice that your vision is blurry for both up close and distance. Additionally colors may not be as bright. As the disease progresses there may be vision changes or even vision loss. In later stages straight lines may look wavy or corked. In the center of your vision there may be a blurry or even blank spot. Sudden and significant loss of central vision may indicate the development of wet macular degeneration. (4) Now I bet your question right now is but doc how do I know if lines are wavy? Do I just grab a notebook and look at the lines? There is actually something called the Amsler grid. This can be used to help monitor your vision especially if you have any of the risk factors for macular degeneration. Please see the below pictures for a healthy view of the grid as compared to what the grid may look like if there is macular degeneration. (1)
Healthy
Possible macular degeneration
According to the American Academy of ophthalmology to use this grid you do the following:
When it comes to macular degeneration there is still a lot of talk about! In my next blog we will be reviewing the risk factors, as well as any complications that can occur. Lastly we will be reviewing what you can do to lower your risk factors and what supplements are important when you are diagnosed with macular denegation.
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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 …
HEPATITIS~ THE TYPES, THE SUPPORT AND CAN IT BE PREVENTED? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT Hepatitis is a disease that we’ve all heard about and it also triggers fear for many when it’s discussed. It is often associated with hypodermic needle drug users, …
Complete Eye Support with Macula Advanced!
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
When someone calls and asks about a product for eye health one of the first things I recommend is our Macula Advanced. Personally in my opinion Macula Advanced really hits all the marks. Not only is it an easy to swallow and digest capsule it is also chock full of nutrients for our eyes. I bet your thinking something along the lines of “but Dr. Claire isn’t that formula just for macular degeneration”? Well my answer is nope! It is great for so many of the conditions that affect our eyes. So let’s get into the nitty-gritty of why I like this formula so much, shall we?
Let’s start with the vitamin portion first. Vitamin A, the very first item is a power house when it comes to eye health. What does WebMD have to say about Vitamin A? Well it states that “Vitamin A helps to maintain and can help prevent age related macular degeneration”. Vitamin A has also been found to help slow vision loss in those with macular degeneration. Vitamin A deficiency is also associated with poor night vision. (1)
Vitamin C is another powerful nutrient when it comes to our overall health. But did you know how great it is for our eyes? According to the American optometric Association there is evidence that Vitamin C can reduce the risk of cataracts. There is also evidence that it can slow the progression of macular degeneration. Lastly there is evidence Vitamin C may help with visual acuity. (2) According to newer studies nerve cells in the eye need Vitamin C to work properly. (3) Studies have also found that Vitamin C can lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy by up to 50% after 8 years. (4)
The next item in Macula Advanced is Zinc. Now I bet you are thinking – but wait isn’t that just for our immune system? Nope it’s great for eye health too! Studies have found that zinc can help with vision loss especially in those with macular degeneration. (5) Zinc has also been found to help with slowing down cataract formation especially in those with diabetes. (6) Lastly Vitamin E has been found to help protect the cells in the eyes from free radicles which can cause damage. (2)
In addition to the vitamins that help eye health Macula Advanced contains certain select nutrients that can help with eye health. The first nutrient, one of my favorite is NAC. This has been found to help protect retinal cells from oxidative damage which is important when working with conditions such as macular degeneration. (7) Bilberry, another nutrient has been studied and found to help with protecting our eyes. For example bilberry has been found to help with dry eye. (8) Cassis fruit is an excellent source of anthocyanins which have been found to potentially help with both myopia and glaucoma. (9) According to studies both Lutein and Zeaxanthin are all important nutrients for keeping our eyes protected from such concerns as macular degeneration and cataracts. (1). Lastly Lycopene has been found to help with both cataracts and macular degeneration. (11)
Overall as you can see Macula Advanced is an amazing overall formula for our eye health! Our next topic is going to be something that comes up all the time – Cataracts!
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