Ocular health

[Thomas Alan]

Thanks, Shijing: for this thread. Over the past few years I have had trouble with cataracts. Slowly increasing cloudiness in my vision. I bothers me most in reading. It seems to be in the centers of my vision.

I'll look into some of the supplements mentioned. I take about 3000 IU D3. I am wary of taking more. D3 is one the factors with kidney stones and I don't want that to get started again.

I am of course interested in suggestions of how to deal with cataracts.

Mac

 

[Aoide]

Recently I was buying new glasses, my diopter of the left eye is minus 3 and of the right is minus 5. The woman that made the lens said to me that if I was to be pregnant at some time in future, I shouldn't be bearing child in a natural way, because women that have this kind of diopter are at risk of a high vision deterioration because of a great stress during a birth of the child. Didn't know of this before.

 

[Lilou]

Thanks for starting this thread, Shijing. The timing is interesting too, as just last night, I was thinking about health and healing, and how I have a pretty good handle on many things, but as an eye doctor, I know very little about how to prevent or reverse problems with the eye - my own field of study! Perhaps this thread will uncover some clues and information in this regard.

I am of course interested in suggestions of how to deal with cataracts.

Dr. Morton Walker contends that a solution of 15-20% DMSO/sterile saline will detox the lens and prevent cataracts. Since the lens of the eye is avascular, once something deposits in the lens, there is no blood flow to carry away the debris, so it is a slow, steady build up. First the lens becomes rigid and we can no longer read a book without reading glasses, then by time, the build up continues, the lens is hazy and we have a cataract. It's like looking thru a glass of dirty water.

I don't know how quickly DMSO would work to reverse an already existing cataract, as it took years to develop the condition, so it'll probably take years to reverse it as well. So depending on the grade of your cats, Mac, you may have to consider the surgery. It will literally feel like someone turned on the lights, if it is fairly advanced.

Also, are you supplementing Vit K2 along with the Vit D3? It is advisable to do so, if you are not.

 

[Lilou]

I started the following thread a year ago on lack of saturated fats in the diet and macular degeneration. (Just adding it to the collection here.)

https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic,30072.msg392687.html#msg392687

[quote author= Aoide]
Recently I was buying new glasses, my diopter of the left eye is minus 3 and of the right is minus 5. The woman that made the lens said to me that if I was to be pregnant at some time in future, I shouldn't be bearing child in a natural way, because women that have this kind of diopter are at risk of a high vision deterioration because of a great stress during a birth of the child. Didn't know of this before. [/quote]

I have never given childbirth and high myopia any thought, but because your eyes are too long, the retina is stretched thin. I am assuming she meant that straining during childbirth increases the risk of blowing out blood vessels, causing retinal bleeds and perhaps even small holes and tears that could lead to a detached retina.

When I get a minute, I will try to look up statistics on high myopia in childbirth and any increased risks. I currently have access to a University database, which has a optometry school, so maybe I can find some information that is useful.

 

[mabar]

I wear glasses for driving and computer, I went to the ophthalmologist last December, I had not gone in 5 years, he told me that there was a little almost non increase of the diopters in both eyes, all other parameters were fine too. I told him that I had been consuming too much carrots since then (5 years) and had been practicing meditation (3 years). It usually increased every time I went to the ophthalmologist, even after the kind of Lasik surgery I had in 1995.

Went to find food resources of astaxanthin, found this:

Astaxanthin is found in many common foods, including: shrimp , crabs, lobster (Astaxanthin was first isolated in a laboratory in 1938 from lobster), trout, red seabream, salmon, fish eggs, carrots, red peppers, other red-pigmented vegetables and fruits.

Then I went here, there is a lot of information from astaxanthin, from different scientific points of view.
From what I understand the best resource of astaxanthin is from the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, use in pharmaceutical industries (antioxidant properties) as in aquaculture inhancing the red/orange color in salmon and others, and cosmetics (colorants).
_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16562856 : Astaxanthin, a carotenoid with potential in human health and nutrition.
_http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14693455 : Influence of environmental and nutritional factors in the production of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis.

Read here:

“Environmental stress induces encystment and morphological changes from motile vegetative cells to resting immotile aplanospores. When exposed to prolonged stress, H. pluvialis cell undergo enhanced carotenogenesis during the maturation of cyst cells. Astaxanthin could be accumulated up to 4-6% of dry cell weight. The massive accumulation of astaxanthin in cyst cell under light in extreme environmental condition (nutrient limitation, high light intensity, hight temperature, oxidative stress and salt stress) has been investigated by several authors.

and here:

Fraunhofer IGB or its spin-off SUBITEC can produce astaxanthin economically in photobioreactors specifically designed for mass cultivation of algae.

And it made me cringe, but want to knew from where the industry was obtaining the supplement of Astaxanthin, since it is an algae, between a rock(oil gulf disaster) and a hard place (radiation of Fukushima) want it to know where it was coming from.

Surely there may be other process that I don't even want to know, on the other hand, carrots and other foods I consume are probably not organic, have to investigate where I can find them, though.

 

[nicklebleu]

.
At present I have some redness and discomfort in my left eye.

Have you ever seen an eye doctor to rule out glaucoma? If not that would be highly advisable, as this condition can wreck your vision totally over time.

 

[Arwenn]

Thanks Everyone for the info. At present I have some redness and discomfort in my left eye. I`v been mega dosing with vit C, and using coloidal silver as an eyewash and taking internally. Once in a great while this red eye that I call "a stigh in my eye", will come back when I`m under great stress.( I`v been doing a ton of paper work the last couple weeks. My parents just transitioned to Medicaid. Medicaid goes through all their financials from years back with a fine tooth comb.. So I`v been dealing with that and my ex`s lawyer just asked for a list of my financial info from last june to present. I already gave him 3 years back. I gave them Everything they asked for at the deposition last Sept. He`s dragging his feet!.So I`m stressed to say the least! ) I`ll add vit D and astaxanthin to the list today. My eye is much better today, not as swollen and no mucus and not itchy. I have noticed a slight discomfort as soon as the vit C starts to wear off. I really believe that vit c is crucial in healing any part of the body. Tonight I`ll do EE. Diet`s been good, although I`ll cut out the nuts. Sometimes I`ll feel inflamed from them. Bone broth today.

Thanks again! N2F

If it has been a while since you have had an eye examination, it might be a good idea, just to rule out any underlying pathology, especially if you have been under a bit of stress. Redness and discomfort can have a whole host of possible reasons, it would be good to rule out the problematic ones, like glaucoma, as nicklebleu has mentioned. I find I get inflamed eating nuts as well, so I've had to cut them out. The keto diet and the supplements you have mentioned( Vit C, Vit D, astaxanthin) should also help with keeping your eyes healthy.

I remember reading your post about preparing to leave your husband, and I wish you all the best with the proceedings, N2F

 

[nicklebleu]

I'll look into some of the supplements mentioned. I take about 3000 IU D3. I am wary of taking more. D3 is one the factors with kidney stones and I don't want that to get started again.

That has been disproven for quite a while (see for instance this book).

Also disproven is the notion that calcium supplements increase calcification in the body (including kidney stones) - in fact LACK of calcium and vitamin D can lead to pathological calcifications in your body (see here).

When I supplement vitamin D I usually take 10'000 U/day - a dose that has been shown to be safe for all in regards to overdosing. Even a daily dose of 20'000 U produces overdosing only in very few people. Incidentally 20'000 U is the amount the body produces when exposed to sun for a sufficient length of time. However the body also produces a different vitamin D compound than the one we buy - it is sulphated and water soluble and some researcher (Stephanie Seneff) believe that the wide-ranging benefits might be due to the sulphated form. Problem is that the oral supplement (which is fat-soluble) cannot be converted to the sulphated form, so if at all possible sunshine (or a safe tanning bed) is preferable.

There's even an app to track your daily sunshine exposure ... :D

 

[Lilou]

A red eye is pretty common. Here's a list of the differential diagnosis.

Conjunctivitis (Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye), Glaucoma (Condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight.), Uveitis (Inflammation of the uvea), Corneal abrasion (Condition involving the loss of the surface epithelial layer of the eye's cornea), Blepharitis (Inflammation of the eyelid) and Dry Eye (if severe and long standing, could cause corneal erosion or if mild, just feel like a weird pain).

A more detailed case history from N2F will help to narrow down which of the above it could be. If only a dull ache is the symptom, it could be a uniflateral spike in intraocular pressure, or it could be as mundane as inflammation of the glands which produce tears, and simply dry eye.

So basically there is some inflammation, but I'd try to pin it down a bit better before concluding it is glaucoma. If no other symptoms point to something, then an eye exam to check pressure and have a look the optic nerve head will rule out the need for any further testing. Which would be a visual field test. I'd say most commonly, it is dry eye.

 

[Arwenn]

Thanks, Shijing: for this thread. Over the past few years I have had trouble with cataracts. Slowly increasing cloudiness in my vision. I bothers me most in reading. It seems to be in the centers of my vision.

I'll look into some of the supplements mentioned. I take about 3000 IU D3. I am wary of taking more. D3 is one the factors with kidney stones and I don't want that to get started again.

I am of course interested in suggestions of how to deal with cataracts.

Mac

Mac, just make sure that it is cataracts that's clouding your central vision, and not something like macular degeneration. There are studies to show that Vit C & E can be preventative for slowing catract prevention

[quote author=http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/53/1/346S.abstract]
A possible role for vitamins C and E in cataract prevention.

Abstract

Biochemical evidence suggests that oxidative stress caused by accumulation of free radicals is involved in the pathogenesis of senile cataracts. If so, appropriate amounts of the antioxidant vitamins C and E might be expected to prevent or retard the process. Such activity has been observed in several in vitro and in vivo studies of experimentally-induced cataracts. A recent epidemiologic study found that cataract patients tended to have lower serum levels of vitamins C, E, or carotenoids than did control subjects. The present investigation, which compared the self-reported consumption of supplementary vitamins by 175 cataract patients with that of 175 individually matched, cataract-free subjects, revealed that the latter group used significantly more supplementary vitamins C and E (P = 0.01 and 0.004, respectively). Because the results suggested a reduction in the risk of cataracts of at least 50%, a randomized, controlled trial of vitamin supplementation in cataract prevention may be warranted. [/quote]

 

[Arwenn]

A red eye is pretty common. Here's a list of the differential diagnosis.

Conjunctivitis (Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye), Glaucoma (Condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight.), Uveitis (Inflammation of the uvea), Corneal abrasion (Condition involving the loss of the surface epithelial layer of the eye's cornea), Blepharitis (Inflammation of the eyelid) and Dry Eye (if severe and long standing, could cause corneal erosion or if mild, just feel like a weird pain).

A more detailed case history from N2F will help to narrow down which of the above it could be. If only a dull ache is the symptom, it could be a uniflateral spike in intraocular pressure, or it could be as mundane as inflammation of the glands which produce tears, and simply dry eye.

So basically there is some inflammation, but I'd try to pin it down a bit better before concluding it is glaucoma. If no other symptoms point to something, then an eye exam to check pressure and have a look the optic nerve head will rule out the need for any further testing. Which would be a visual field test. I'd say most commonly, it is dry eye.

I'll throw episcleritis in there as well, as I have often seen this in times of stress- red eye (diffuse or sectoral), discomfort, no pain, glare or discharge. It's a self-limiting inflammatory condition, that usually does not warrant treatment (or if persistent, mild anti-inflammatory eye drops).

 

[Lilou]

[quote author= Arwenn]
There are studies to show that Vit C & E can be preventative for slowing catract prevention [/quote]

Thanks for posting the study. A 50% reduction in cataracts is impressive with supplementation.

I agree, episcleritis should be added to the list for possible red eye. Are you able to treat in Australia as an optometrist? I know that Europe and other countries severely limit the scope of practice of optometrists. Just wondering about down under.

 

[Arwenn]

Thanks for posting the study. A 50% reduction in cataracts is impressive with supplementation.

I agree, episcleritis should be added to the list for possible red eye. Are you able to treat in Australia as an optometrist? I know that Europe and other countries severely limit the scope of practice of optometrists. Just wondering about down under.

Hi Lilou :)

The undergraduate courses now include ocular therapeutics- so all the new grads can prescribe (topical anti-infectives, anti-inflammatories, co-manage and prescribe for glaucoma). You can do a post-grad course in Ocular Therapeutics, which gives already qualified optoms the option to prescribe. Where I am, I have a great rapport with my local ophthals, so I tend to refer any pathology to them. I did a stint of locum work in Broome on the NW coast of Australia, where there are only visiting ophthals once every 4 months, and if there's an emergency you have organize for the patient to be flown down to Perth. So you've really got to know your stuff. If I ever was to practice in a remote location like that again, I would definitely need the therapeutics part. So much to learn, so little time...

 

[Thomas Alan]

Thanks for starting this thread, Shijing. The timing is interesting too, as just last night, I was thinking about health and healing, and how I have a pretty good handle on many things, but as an eye doctor, I know very little about how to prevent or reverse problems with the eye - my own field of study! Perhaps this thread will uncover some clues and information in this regard.

I am of course interested in suggestions of how to deal with cataracts.

Dr. Morton Walker contends that a solution of 15-20% DMSO/sterile saline will detox the lens and prevent cataracts. Since the lens of the eye is avascular, once something deposits in the lens, there is no blood flow to carry away the debris, so it is a slow, steady build up. First the lens becomes rigid and we can no longer read a book without reading glasses, then by time, the build up continues, the lens is hazy and we have a cataract. It's like looking thru a glass of dirty water.

I don't know how quickly DMSO would work to reverse an already existing cataract, as it took years to develop the condition, so it'll probably take years to reverse it as well. So depending on the grade of your cats, Mac, you may have to consider the surgery. It will literally feel like someone turned on the lights, if it is fairly advanced.

Also, are you supplementing Vit K2 along with the Vit D3? It is advisable to do so, if you are not.

Well maybe an eye exam is the first order of business. I had one about 4 years ago. The cataracts were evident then but they didn't recommend surgery at the time. They did give me a prescription for new glasses but in comparing the prescription they gave me with the one for my existing glasses there was little difference. But I can't read small print with my glasses or without any longer, I carry a pocket magnifier to read ingredients on items when I go shopping. And for distance I find little difference whether I am wear glasses or not which is a big change since I have been near sighted since I was 14.

I'll call for an appointment tomorrow. When I get the results then I will look into supplements.

Thanks

Mac

 

[Nancy2feathers]

A red eye is pretty common. Here's a list of the differential diagnosis.

Conjunctivitis (Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye), Glaucoma (Condition of increased pressure within the eyeball, causing gradual loss of sight.), Uveitis (Inflammation of the uvea), Corneal abrasion (Condition involving the loss of the surface epithelial layer of the eye's cornea), Blepharitis (Inflammation of the eyelid) and Dry Eye (if severe and long standing, could cause corneal erosion or if mild, just feel like a weird pain).

A more detailed case history from N2F will help to narrow down which of the above it could be. If only a dull ache is the symptom, it could be a uniflateral spike in intraocular pressure, or it could be as mundane as inflammation of the glands which produce tears, and simply dry eye.

So basically there is some inflammation, but I'd try to pin it down a bit better before concluding it is glaucoma. If no other symptoms point to something, then an eye exam to check pressure and have a look the optic nerve head will rule out the need for any further testing. Which would be a visual field test. I'd say most commonly, it is dry eye.

From the info I`v read it`s seems I have a stye, left eye, under,upper eyelid. At first my eye was red and itchy. The next morning I woke up with a swollen eye lid,dark red and purple. My eye was very itchy. I put cool compresses on it. Then started with the mega dosing of vit C, and taking D3, Astaxanthin, Colloidal Silver as an eye wash and taken internally ( I also started vit K this afternoon) . Today the redness has subsided,eyelid not as swollen, not as itchy. I had this same eye problem about 9-10 months ago. I then, also attributed to stress. I had an eye exam a couple of years back. My eyes were fine then, maybe I should get them checked again!

Thanks all, for all the info. :)

Thanks Arwenn, for your well wishes. :)