The Eye Practice

Macular Degeneration has been associated with many risk factors.  We have discussed these before but some risk factors include:

• Age
• Having light coloured eyes
• Being female and long-sighted
• Smoking
• Being overweight
• Lack of green vegetables, Omega 3 and an anti-oxidant called Lutein in the diet

A recent study seemed to link a lack of Vitamin D now to macular degeneration.  Vitamin D is a very important vitamin.  Historically a lack of Vitamin D caused rickets.  Rickets weakens and softens bones and was very prevalent in England in the 1600's.  In was not until the 1900's that the association of Vitamin D and rickets was discovered.

Lack of Vitamin D today is associated with lack of outdoor activity.  Some exposure to sunlight is needed to manufacture an appropriate amount of it.  This does not mean to get hours of sunlight but at least 15 minutes per day.  The darker your skin the more you need.

Some foods are rich in Vitamin D, while some milk is fortified with it.  Salmon for example has some some Vitamin D but the best and easiest source is the sun. Remember everything in moderation. Don't get sun burnt just 15 minutes per day and preferably if its summer not in the middle of the day.

What is interesting is that lack of Vitamin D seems to be associated with a whole host of things other than just rickets.  Lack of Vitamin D seems to be associated with asthma, some cancers, autoimmune diseases, obesity and cardiovascular issues.

 

Ok so let's get back to the study that seemed to imply that lack of Vitamin D was related with macular degeneration.  We have to admit it is a bit far fetched! The study was done on mice!

It showed that mice that were deficient in Vitamin D compared to a group of mice that were not had all sorts of irregularities with their eyes.   Does this mean that this study can be extrapolated to human eyes?  Probably not at the moment.

For those interested CLICK here for a link to the newspaper article.  What is important to know is that Vitamin D today is lacking in many people, while the incidence of asthma, some cancers, autoimmune diseases, obesity and cardiovascular issues are on the increase.  Being associated is not necessarily a cause.  Medical science proceeds slowly and with caution.  What is clear though is that if you can't get the sunlight or you are scared of getting skin cancer from too much sun, then supplementing with a vitamin tablet containing Vitamin D might be the way to go.

On your next blood check get your GP to look for Vitamin D deficiency and get on top of it if it is an issue.  If lack of Vitamin D does proved to cause macular degeneration by taking enough Vitamin D will put you ahead later in life.

In the mean time you should also keep getting you macula checked.  Make an appointment at The Eye Practice on 9290 1899 or BOOK ONLINE HERE.

The Human body is a complex structure which is a miracle when you try and analyse it. Nature has built an automated system in our body, which instinctively resists harmful substances and absorbs healthy material. Remember damaging a human body is more difficult than to take care of it. Small nutritional intakes can boost our body systems. We are blessed in Australia with plenty of natural herbs, fruits and vegetables which can help support our body. Some are beneficial for digestive system, some for brain; others maintain good blood flow etc.

Eyes being a very important part of our body also require good health and care. Our eyes share equal stress and harm as other parts of our body do. They absorb pollutants, dust particles, impurities and microorganisms while we are at work, walking in bright sunshine, pollution and severe climate conditions. Thus, you need to add something to your diet, which can help your eyes fight daily stress and harm in order to keep them healthy and perfect till your old age.

   

 If we talk about nutrition and eye, we have some available options such as:

• Balanced diet
• Supplements
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Medications

Let us start with the dietary intake of required nutrition, which can keep our eyes from contracting diseases. In fact, nutrition and eye health have a direct relation with each other.

Proper nutrition can help resist many eyes diseases such as eye cataract, glaucoma and myopia. Here, is a list of fruits and vegetables, which have proved beneficial to human eyes:
• Spinach
• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Corn
• Green leafy vegetables
• Citrus fruit
• Broccoli
• Blue berries
• Pumpkin
• Onions

Some nuts are very helpful. These include;
• Almonds
• Walnuts

Other than these above substances, the following things help contribute to eye care:

• Eggs
• Yoghurt
• Cheese

These foods contain one, two or a combination of nutrients which are helpful in eye nutrition. What is also important to understand is that any food items, which strengthen your brain, blood flow and general health are likely to also benefit your eyes. After all the eyes are part of the human body.

In general add food items in your meal, which are rich, in vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B, and B complex. Food which contains minerals like zinc, zeaxanthin and lutein are good for eye sight improvement. As is the intake of Fish oil (Omega 3).

The second option is the artificial intake of necessary vitamins and minerals to provide nutrition to the eyes. You can find a number of ready-made supplements. In general regular intake of necessary vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin B complex are recommended for good and balanced health as our dietary intake is usually insufficient to provide full support to the body.

What is unfortunate in today’s society is that many of us will ignore a healthy diet and rely on prescription medication if something goes wrong with our eyes or body. It is imperative to understand that being proactive and leading a healthy lifestyle with good diet is far superior than waiting for trouble and then think that a doctor’s medication will save us.

Often the damage is done by then!

Macular Degeneration we now know is the most common cause of legal blindness in an age group greater than 50.  With life expectancy increasing, we will have a potential tsunami of new cases of macular degeneration.  This will create a huge burden on the individual, on their families and on society in general if we do not take a stance against this debilitating condition from now!

To take an effective stance we need to know what risk factors can be modified and what cannot be modified. 

So what are the risks factors for Macular Degeneration

• Age - the older we get the more likely we are to develop MD.
• Female
• Caucasian - especially with light coloured eyes.
• Long Sighted (Hyperopia)
• Family History
• Smoking
• High Blood Pressure
• Overweight
• Lack of Exercise
• Poor Diet
• Ultraviolet exposure

It is not difficult to work out from the risk factors above what you can influence and what you cannot.  What you can influence for macular degeneration or for any other chronic disease are called modifiable risk factors.

What is interesting is that by improving your exercise level and your diet, not only will you reduce your chance of developing macular degeneration, but also reduce your risk of heart disease, strokes and Alzheimers.   Smoking of course is a given, and wearing sunglasses outdoors is easy.

As an aside macular degeneration seems to be linked with lack of Vitamin D, which we create by ultraviolet exposure.

Reducing your weight seems to be a function of controlling portions, increasing protein intake and reducing carbohydrate and saturated fats.  If you can then add at least 4 brisk exercise sessions per week you are done.

Appropriate nutrition is also important so the following should be added to your diet:

• Green Leafed vegetables
• Fish Oil or Flaxseed Oil (Omega 3)
• Take a Lutein supplement

What defines brisk exercise?

This is most important as whoever designed human bodies designed them to move.  Resistance training as well as cardiovascular training are just as important as each other in obtaining weight loss and general fitness and well-being.

Getting your diet right and getting an appropriate level of exercise is harder than it sounds.  It is not surprising that there is such a massive industry around weight loss - the problem is most people try and ultimately fail.  Why?

There are many reasons but the main one is that one needs to make a life time commitment to eating differently and exercise.  Dr Jim Kokkinakis this year joined the Exercise Franchise called Vision Personal Training in Kogarah.  For an investment of $50 per week (yes this might not be cheap enough for everyone) you can use the gymnasium and the fitness classes they run as much as you like, whilst having a one-on-one personal training session per week.  The key to this is that they monitor and advise about your diet, while inspiring you to great fitness. You are accountable to someone and every week you have an appointment that you will keep.

Within 4 months Dr Kokkinakis lost 20 kilos and now fits in to his wedding pants from 25 years ago!

Changing the way you eat and exercise is achievable - it requires an honest commitment.  It certainly can be done by yourself, but being accountable to someone else really helps.

Macular Degeneration potentially could be a huge, huge issue if we do not pounce on it now.  By modifying our lifestyle it is possible to reduce the enormous burden of this disease significantly.

 

 

Macular Degeneration has been talked about extensively in the media.  And for good reason.  As we have mentioned before it is the leading cause of legal blindness in a population over 50.  With an aging population, which is living longer, the numbers of legal blindness from Macular Degeneration will escalate dramatically over the next 20 years, if nothing is done to stem the wave.

Eye Nutrition seems to be very important to possibly protect us from Macular Degeneration. 

There are two important ingredients that we need in our diet to protect our eyes.  They are:

1. Omega-3 (commonly known as Fish Oil or Flaxseed Oil for the vegetarians) is an essential building block of the cells that make up our whole body.  The eyes also are many up of cells.  It is thought that the average person needs to consume around 3 to 4 servings of lightly grilled fish per week to load the body with enough Omega-3 to sustain our cells at a healthy level.  I am not sure about you, but I would be lucky to have a serving a month! Supplementation then is a must for the majority of us.  At the Eye Practice we commonly prescribe Thera Tears Nutrition Gel capsules, which not only gives you the necessary dosage of Omega-3 for Macula protection but also treats the very annoying dry eye syndrome.
   
2. Lutein and Zeaxanthin are two less well known antioxidants that are highly concentrated in the macula area and are thought to protect the macula from damage.  The best food source for these two very important antioxidants is from lightly cooked spinach.  Add some garlic and lightly stir fry a serving at least 3 times per week and you have the basis for very healthy eyes.

     

 

Lutein and Zeaxanthin also can be obtained from supplements such as Blackmores Lutein-Vision.

There is even a cookbook that has been written on behalf of the Macular Degeneration Foundation.  This is for people that really want to stay on top of their eye-health - especially if you have significant signs of macular degeneration.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

And now that we have our diet correct, stay tuned for the next Macular Degeneration fact.  It will also be an important one.