Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Invite Health Powders Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND Invite Health has an amazing line of superfood powders that can easily be incorporated into your vision heath protocol. These powders include Reds Hx, Purples Hx and both Greens Hx and Organic Greens. These powders easily complement …
THE KETO DIET~ IS IT OR ISN’T IT GOOD FOR EVERYONE? By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT The Keto Diet…we’ve all heard about it, we all have opinions on it, but what do we really know about this diet theory. It seems as though …
Dry Eye
Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND
Are your eyes stinging, burning or red? You might have something called dry eye! Now I bet the first thing you’re going to say is but Dr. Claire I drink water all day! How can I have dry eye? While on the surface dry eye may seem like its just related to our water intake the truth is that it’s actually more complicated than that. Basically when you have dry eye your tears don’t provide adequate lubrication which can lead to inflammation and even damage to our eyes. (1)
Tears are made up of 3 parts. These include mucus, water and a lipid portion. (2) This combination is what keeps our eyes lubricated. Problems with any 1 of these layers can cause dry eye. So normally the tear gland or lacrimal gland supplies the tears that are wiped across your eyes when you blink. The excess then drains into your nose via the tear duct or nasolacrimal duct. () I know this sounds complicated so I’ve attached a picture so you can get a visual on what it looks like! (3)
What kind of symptoms can you expect when you have dry eye? You may notice that your eyes are red and there may be mucus in or around your eyes. You may feel like there’s something in your eyes. Additionally there may be a stinging, burning or scratchy feeling. You may notice that your vision is becoming blurry and you may experience eye fatigue. You may develop a sensitivity to light as well as difficult with driving in low light. If you wear contacts they be difficult to wear. Lastly as a response to the dry, irritated eyes you may develop watery eyes. (1) Some people with dry eye describe it as a burning, achy, even “gritty” feeling in their eyes. (4)
How do you know if it’s dry eye? The best thing is to see your eye doctor for a definitive answer. First they will do a comprehensive eye exam. Then they may do a test to measure the volume of your tears. They can also check the quality of tears as well as how much water there is in your tears. Lastly they can check your tear samples to ask for markers of dry eye disease. (1) Who knew tears could be so complicated?
Now what exactly are the risk factors for dry eye? Anything that can decrease tear production can lead to dry eye. Certain eye disease as well as certain chronic diseases can decrease tear production. These can include allergies, graft vs. host disease, Lupus, RA, Sarcoidosis, Scleroderma, Sjogrens, thyroid disorders and even vitamin A deficiency! Even certain medications can decrease our tear production. These common medications can include anti-histamines, decongestants, blood pressure medications, Parkinson’s medications and hormone replacement drugs. Even birth control can increase risk of dry eye. Similarly hormone changes that occur during pregnancy or during menopause can increase dry eye risk, which means that women are at a higher risk in general for dry eye. Something called corneal nerve de-sensitivity can increase risk. Lastly as we age there can be a decrease in tear production, and this decrease becomes more common after age 50. (1)
In addition to lower tear production anything that increases tear evaporation can lead to dry eye. Once again a vitamin A deficiency is a risk. Being in a place that in windy, smoky or even dry can increase evaporation. Having allergies is a risk. Certain eye diseases such as posterior blepharitis, ectropion, and entropion increase risk. Lastly blinking less often such as when you’re focused or if you have certain conditions such as Parkinson’s. Lastly you are more likely to have dry eye if you wear contacts or have a history of refractive surgery. (1)
Now a series question – can dry eye have complications? Yes it can. Tears protect our eyes. One of the things they protect us from is infection. They also protect us from damage to our eyes. Without the correct amount of tears you are at risk for infections, damage to the eye which can lead to corneal ulcers and even vision loss. Dry eyes can even decrease the quality of life as it can make certain activities of daily living difficult. (1)
What can you do if you have dry eye?
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INTRODUCING PROBIOTIC HX IMMUNE~GUT AND IMMUNE SUPPORT By: Allie Might, FMC, INHC, ATT We all know about the benefits of a probiotic. Whether you know about it through a healthcare or wellness provider or from commercials and advertisements, it’s rather familiar to us all. …
Bilberry for Eye Health and More!!! Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND In this blog we will be talking about Bilberry. Yes you read that correct, bilberry not blueberry. Now I bet your thinking but Dr. Claire what exactly is the difference between a bilberry and …
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 of death. In fact in 2021 38.4 million Americans or 11.6% of the population had diabetes. (1) Anyone who has diabetes of any type is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. However the less controlled your blood sugar is the higher your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. (2) For more information on diabetes please check out my blog series on this important topic.
What is diabetic retinopathy? Well it might surprise you to learn but there is actually 2 types of diabetic retinopathy. To start with let’s just do a general overall of diabetic retinopathy first. Basically when you have diabetic retinopathy there is too much sugar in your blood and this high sugar occurs over a longer period of time. This high concentration of sugar in your blood can affect your blood vessels by either blocking them or causing them to dilate and become damaged. In some cases to try and compensate for the reduction in blood flow caused by the blockages the eyes will start to grow new blood vessels. However these new blood vessels, or the dilated blood vessels are “leaky” and can ooze fluid and blood into the retina. Now as I said that’s a basic definition. Remember how I said that there are 2 types of diabetic retinopathy? Let’s talk more about that, shall we? The most common type is early diabetic retinopathy, which is called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). It is important to note that this form can change over time to advanced diabetic retinopathy, which is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Now I bet your thinking but what the heck is the difference? Basically in NPDR the walls of the blood vessels bulge or dilate due to the sugar taking up space in the vessels. This causes them to weaken and become as I’ve said “leaky” and fluids leak into the retina causing damage. As the blockage becomes worse the eyes begin to compensate by growing new but leaky blood vessels. This is where PDR comes into play. As you can guess in PDR the blood vessels are blocked and new blood vessels form which leak which can lead to scar tissue formation and that scar formation can cause damage to the retina. The leaked fluids can also build up which can increase glaucoma risk. (2) But what does this all look like? Please see the attached picture. (3)
What are the risk factors for developing diabetic retinopathy? Well I bet you can guess the first one! If you said having diabetes you would be correct! In fact studies estimate that in those with type 2 diabetes between 29.5-40.3% have diabetic retinopathy. (4) The longer you have diabetes the higher your risk becomes. Having poor control of your blood sugar also increases your risk. Having a history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even tobacco use can all increase your risk. Lastly being pregnant and being of certain ethnic backgrounds can all increase your risk. For example being of African American, Hispanic or Native American background can all place you in a high risk category for diabetic retinopathy. (2)
Like many diseases that affect our eyes diabetic retinopathy may not present with symptoms in the early stages. As the disease gets worse you may have floaters as well as dark or empty spots in your vision. You may have blurry vision. Over time you may experience vision loss. (2)
What are the most common complications? Diabetic macular edema occurs in about half of those who have diabetic retinopathy. Another possible complication is vitreous hemorrhage. Diabetic retinopathy increases the risk of both glaucoma and retinal detachment. (5) Over time diabetic retinopathy can lead to complete vision loss. (2)
What can you do to help reduce your risk of diabetic retinopathy? Well let’s review a few things, shall we?
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