From owner-i_see@indiana.edu Thu Sep 7 09:47:07 EST 1995 Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 09:03:35 -0500 (EST) From: Alex Eulenberg Subject: Avoiding cataracts Status: RO X-Status: On Thu, 7 Sep 1995, Kellie Elizabeth Cass wrote: > Can anyone please recommend how to avoid cataracts? > Both my mom and dad got them. > Thankyou so much. The best advice I know of is to have a healthy diet, full of all the vitamins and minerals you need. Brigitte Mars, in an anthology /American Herbalism/, writes: "The lenses of our eyes contain more Vitamin C than any other body part, except some endocrine glands. Vitamin C and E may both help prevent cataract formation by preventing oxidative damage. In cases of cataracts, vitamin C is usually deficient." Anything that improves circulation -- the inflow of nutrients to the eye, and the outflow of toxins from the eye. Bilberry (aka Huckleberry) extract, rich in anthocyanosides, has been shown to improve circulation by strenghtening capillaries. Says Heinerman's /Encyclopedia of Healing Juices/: "The hucklberry juice compounds may also offer significant protection against the development of retinal (macular) degeneration and cataracts, particularly diabetic retinopathy and cataracts." --Alex ========================================================================= From owner-i_see@indiana.edu Thu Sep 7 10:14:38 EST 1995 Date: Thu, 7 Sep 1995 09:34:03 -0500 (EST) From: Ari Solovyova Subject: Re: cataracts Status: RO X-Status: On Thu, 7 Sep 1995, Kellie Elizabeth Cass wrote: > Can anyone please recommend how to avoid cataracts? > Both my mom and dad got them. > Thankyou so much. > J.F. Balch, "Prescription for nutritional healing", p.173: "This form of cataracts [i.e., in older people] is often caused by free radical damage. Exposure to ultraviolet rays and low-level radiation from x-rays leads to the formation of reactive chemical fragments in the eye. These free radicals attack the structural proteins, enzymes, and cell membranes of the lens. NUTRIENTS Copper, manganese, selenium and zinc (3 mg copper and 50 mg zinc daily) Important for proper healing and for retarding the growth of cataracts L-Lysine (amino acid) Important in collagen formation, which is necessary for lens repair. Also neutralizes viruses implicated in lens damage Pantothenic acid (B5) 500 mg daily An antistress vitamin Thiamine (B1) and Riboflavin (B2) 50 mg each daily taken with the B complex Important for intracellular eye metabolism. Riboflavin deficiency has been linked to cataracts. Vitamin A 25000-50000 IU daily Vital for normal visual function. Vitamin C 3000 mg daily in divided doses Free radical destroyer. Lowers intraocular pressure. Vitamin E 400 IU daily Free radical destroyer. Also: avoid antihistamines. Bilberry contains bioflavonoids, the removal of chemicals from the retina of the eye." You can consult Earl Mindell's "Vitamin Bible" for a list of food that contain those important nutrients. A bit of personal advice: large doses of Vitamin C should be taken as ascorbates, and not as ascorbic acid, to avoid stomach distress. I found calcium ascorbate powder with bioflavonoids in my health food store, which tastes nice, doesn't trouble my sensitive stomach, and seems to help. :-) Good luck, Ari ========================================================================= From owner-i_see@indiana.edu Fri Sep 8 00:03:20 EST 1995 From: JimDayOD@aol.com Date: Fri, 8 Sep 1995 00:34:29 -0400 Subject: Re: cataracts Status: RO X-Status: At present, accepted prevention methods for Cataracts are few. 1 Avoid trauma 2 Avoid Electric shock 3 Avoid use of steroids, (they also cause increased eye pressure, gluacoma) 4 Avoid UV radiation exposure, (wear a hat with a brim, sunglasses) 5 Avoid Infared Radiation, ( hobbies like blowing glass, metal work, heat lamps) 6 Take an Asprin Daily (this is also good for your cardiovascular system) Since they upset my stomach, I take a chewable "Adult" baby asprin. Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or Aleve will not substitue. 7 Don't get diabetes 8 Don't get any inflamtion of the eyes from any cause. (Sarcoid, Iritis, Uveitis) If you have any eye that is red and sensitive to light, see your eye doctor ASAP. 9 Don't worry be HAPPY: Cataracts can be easily removed with an accurate implant and no stitches are needed. Most of my patients only need reading glasses after cataracts. 10 Cataracts are a blessing: If you are +1 or -1 or greater, your implant lens will be more accurate than your prior natural lens for your optical needs: Your glasses will not be as strong, you will not be as dependent on eyewear. Why worry about RK, Laser, or VT if you will get cataract surgery to correct your myopia as a Bonus! 11 Several amino acids are used to prevent cataracts. None are accepted in the US. 12 Anti-free radical vitamins are likewise recommended around the would, but the lack of evidence leaves me skeptical. 13 The truth is that as all of us live longer we will all increase our age related risk of cataracts. Jim H Day, Jr OD Member National Eye Research Foundation ========================================================================= From owner-i_see@indiana.edu Fri Sep 8 10:44:05 EST 1995 Date: Fri, 8 Sep 1995 09:32:35 -0500 (EST) From: Alex Eulenberg Subject: Re: cataracts Status: RO X-Status: Some comments On Fri, 8 Sep 1995 JimDayOD@aol.com wrote: > At present, accepted prevention methods for Cataracts are few. [...] > 6 Take an Asprin Daily (this is also good for your cardiovascular system) What's the justification for this? What study proved heavy aspirin users get fewer cataracts? > 8 Don't get any inflamtion of the eyes from any cause. (Sarcoid, Iritis, > Uveitis) If you have any eye that is red and sensitive to light, see your eye > doctor ASAP. What's the connection? By the way, I've read in several sources that SUNGLASSES INCREASE susceptibility to eye inflammations, and of course make you more light-sensitivie. > 10 Cataracts are a blessing: If you are +1 or -1 or greater, your implant > lens will be more accurate than your prior natural lens for your optical > needs: Your glasses will not be as strong, you will not be as dependent on > eyewear. Why worry about RK, Laser, or VT if you will get cataract surgery to > correct your myopia as a Bonus! Come on, now, let's not forget the risks of cataract surgery, AND the increased risk of macular problems. Without the lens, you'll diminish your ability to accommodate. > 11 Several amino acids are used to prevent cataracts. None are accepted in > the US. I guess it would deprive too many cataract patients the "blessing" of surgery. > 12 Anti-free radical vitamins are likewise recommended around the would, but > the lack of evidence leaves me skeptical. Is there any more evidence for aspirin? > 13 The truth is that as all of us live longer we will all increase our age > related risk of cataracts. The truth is that older people have had more chance to accumulate toxins in the body and have poorer circulation. ========================================================================= From owner-i_see@indiana.edu Sun Oct 1 11:55:52 EST 1995 Date: Sun, 1 Oct 1995 11:35:14 -0500 (EST) From: Alex Eulenberg Subject: Re: sunglasses or not? Status: RO X-Status: On Sat, 16 Sep 1995, Sally Cooper wrote: > I'm confused. We are told that natural sunlight is a good thing for > eyes. "Sunning" is, I believe, part of the Bates method. The latest version of the Bates method recommends "sunning" to be done with the eyes closed. That is, let the sun shine directly on your CLOSED eyelids as you move your head back and forth. > Then we are told that we must wear sunglasses at all times to prevent > cataracts. I think various studies show that people who spend all their day outside in the bright sunshine have a greater risk of getting cataracts. Robert Roosen referred to one of these. In this study, the people were all fishermen, who receive lots of sunlight reflected onto their eyes from the water. I do not believe there has been one study that shows that people in typical urban environments who regularly wear sunglasses have a lower risk of getting cataracts than those in the same environment who don't. I don't even know if there has been a study that shows people who work in the sun and wear sunglasses have less a chance of getting cataracts than those who work in the sun and wear no sunglasses. Common sense would say our eyes evolved to tolerate sunlight. However, there's that "ozone depletion" factor, too. I don't know how significant it really is. The development of cataracts does appear to be quickened by a life in the sun, but there are other more important factors, such as nutrition. For example, it could be that vitamins (anti-oxidants) can repair damage done by light before that damage evolves into a cataract. Also, the act of focusing near-far-near forces circulation of the eye fluids. This has been thought to prevent cataracts. Thus, it is said that people with little or no power of accommodation (presbyopes) are more prone to cataracts. >What to do? Wearing tinted sunglasses reduces your ability to see well in bright light without them. Most regular glasses block the ultraviolet rays credited with increasing risk of cataract development anyway. So you wear glasses of any kind, they're probably filtering out the "bad rays". Even those without "UV block" still filter out a lot of UV light. There was a discussion of this on sci.med.vision recently. Several optometrists were of the opinion that most ordinary, clear glasses provide sufficient protection. And remember, it has still not been established how much protection is really necessary in the first place, if any. Some have argued that UV light in small doses is actually good for the eyes, and the experiments showing that you need to wear sunglasses at all times are hopelessly inconclusive. One is optometrist Jacob Liberman, who wrote /Light, Medicine of the Future: How We Can Use It to Heal Ourselves Now/ (1991). He recommends that people chose glasses that TRANSMIT UV to the eyes. I personally find dark glasses inhuman, and I am not convinced they will reduce my chance of developing cataracts. Ultraviolet light has valuable antiseptic properties, preventing bacterial infection of the eyes and inflammation. I think it is more likely that cataracts can be prevented through good diet than by avoiding UV radiation from the sun. As Mark Goodes has just recently posted, there's something very nourishing that one feels in the eyes when one is outside. I think part of that feeling of nourishment comes from the effect of full-spectrum -- including UV -- light on the eyes. --Alex =========================================================================