Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
As we age, our risk of developing a cataract increases. But there are also other factors that can contribute to this issue, which may lead to blurry vision and even blindness. Learn more about what might put you at risk for cataracts from Jerry Hickey, Ph.
Eye floaters are small particles in the eye that can appear as dots or squiggles in your field of vision. They can be annoying and can impact your overall eye health. The good news is that there are nutrients that can help.
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According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, Macular Degeneration is an incurable eye disease caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina (the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them through the optic nerve to the brain). This disease is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States, affecting more than 10 million Americans.
Dry AMD occurs when the cells in the macula of the eye (the retina’s central portion) start to slowly break down, which produces blurry, blank spots in your vision. Wet AMC occurs when new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and cause bleeding and fluid to travel into the macula. This will rapidly cause scarring and vision loss.[1]
According to Prevention, Dry AMD may not cause any symptoms. The progression of Dry AMD is slow and can cause blurring or vision loss gradually. In many cases, those diagnosed with AMD have reported a slow progression of vision loss and other difficulties, such as reading or face recognition. Prevention also reported that those diagnosed with AMD stated straight lines and/or edges appeared crooked and images became blurred.
AMD can be diagnosed by your doctor, where you will be asked thorough questions about your health history and will go over all risk factors you may have. An eye exam will be performed and, in some cases, your doctor may use an Amsler Grid test that uses a “drawing of vertical and horizontal lines with a dot in the middle. You are asked to stare at the dot. If you have AMD, some of the lines will appear bent, distorted or completely missing.”
by Nutrition Therapy Practitioner and Director of Nutrition for InVite Health, Nicole Crane, BS, NTP, breaks down some of
Vitamin A and Zinc: Vitamin A is probably the most well-known nutrient for the eyes and vision, says Crane. “Because the macula is the portion of the retina in the back of the eye involved with central vision, without zinc, vitamin A and certain carotenoids, the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration is high. Without these essential vitamins and nutrients, the brain will have a difficult time receiving the signals that allow for vision.”
Carotenoids: “Carotenoids are nature’s sunglasses. Beta carotene helps the eye filter and absorb all the colors of the visiual spectrum, which are the colors of the rainbow. Beta-Carotene, and the lesser known alpha carotene really help us see the world around us clearly and sharply.”
Vitamin C and E: Both of these vitamins are known to “protect the eyes from free radical damage which creats inflammation and can cause structural damage. These essential vitamins also defend and protect the eyes from damage from all of the toxins in our environment. Vitamin C helps to build collagen, which is the main structural protein in the eyes and in the rest of the body, as well.”
NAC: “N-Acetyl Cysteine is a powerful nutrient that helps to build glutathione, the body’s master antioxidant and detoxifier. NAC clears away the waste material that can accumulate in the retina, which damages the retinal pigmented epithelial cells layer (the layer between the retina and our blood supply)”, explains Nicole Crane, BS, NTP.
Krill Oil: “Krill contains the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are essential for keeping eyes moist and for the health of the tissues of the eye. DHA plays an incredibily important role in nerve communication between the eyes and the brain. EPA plays a very important role in regulating inflammation throughout the body, and can half the cycle of damage and inflammation caused by oxidative damage and poor diet.”
Click here to read Nicole Crane’s full Article on Vision and Eye Health now!
Source: http://www.prevention.com/health-conditions/macular-degeneration?cid=isynd_ROL_1115
[1] http://www.prevention.com/health-conditions/macular-degeneration?cid=isynd_ROL_1115
Your eyes are similar to a camera. Like a camera, if any part of your eye becomes damaged, you do not get a clear picture. Some of the common risks that affect your vision are your lifetime exposure to sunlight, your age, and smoking. All …
Lutein, a nutrient and antioxidant found in foods such as spinach, kale, collard greens, and egg yolks and extracted from marigolds to make dietary supplements, has been studied as a critical component for maintaining good vision health. A large government study has found that a …
Contacts have become less of a rare commodity and more of a necessity for those with vision problems who do not want to be troubled with wearing glasses every day. But as common as contacts are, so are the bacterial infections they can harbor.
Many contact wearers use their contacts in ways that can be harmful to their eyes. One
specific case of a bacterial infection was recently reported by CNN. Chad Groeschen, a 39-year-old contractor, had an itchy eye that he assumed was due to allergies. He soon noticed the health of his eye worsening – it became “goopy” and he had a problem fully seeing out of it. Groeschen soon visited the Cincinnati Eye Institute and was diagnosed with a bacterial infection that was destroying his cornea (the outer layer that protects the eye). CNN reports, “Groeschen had been using extended wear contact lenses, and only taking them out every week to clean.” The FDA has approved these type of lenses, however, the American Academy of Ophthalmology warns that this type of use “increases the risk of infection.”
It turns out that contact lenses help to incubate bacteria in the eye. A new report by the CDC found that out of 41 million adult contact wearers in the U.S., 99% wear, wash or store their lenses in “unhygienic ways”.
Some mistakes that can jeopardize your eyes are:
According to Dr. Jennifer R. Cope, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC, “Individuals are likely doing at least one, if not more, of these behaviors. We think there’s an event where maybe you seed the contact lens or your case with one of the microorganisms that can cause infection and then subsequent behavior can allow that to amplify so it’s causing an infection.”
If you are one of the many who think contact lenses are great for wearing overnight, think again! Dr. William J. Faulkner, director of urgent services and one of the doctors treating Groeschen at the Cincinnati Eye Institute, reports that this kind of thinking “…probably caused an infection with Pseudomonas, one of the worst types of bacterial infection in the eye. The infection became so bad that some of the cells in his cornea started to die. Now that the infection has cleared, Groeschen still has scaring from the damage and there is a good possibility he will need a cornea transplant.”
Always practice good eye health practices and if you notice any prolonged pain, redness or swelling in the eye, take out the contacts and see your eye doctor immediately. Don’t wait until it’s too late to treat your bacterial infections!
Source: http://www.cnn.com