A new study has investigated whether higher omega-3 intake is associated with a reduced likelihood of developing AMD. Participants who reported the highest omega-3 consumption were 20% less likely than their peers to develop AMD.
Ref: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.27594v1
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According to the AOA’s American Eye-Q(R) survey, which assesses public knowledge and understanding of issues related to eye and visual health, only 18 percent of Americans know that macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in adults 65 years of age and older, and less than a quarter of all Americans understand the effects of glaucoma.
This is particularly concerning as with the baby boomer population coming of age as seniors.
Source: SOURCE American Optometric Association, URL: http://www.aoa.org www.prnewswire.com
Editor’s Note: Through diet, lifestyle and specific nutritional supplementation, there is a great deal one can do to maintain healthy vision and significantly reduce the risk of onset of eye diseases such as macular degeneration. For more information, go to www.naturaleyecare.com
Scientists at MIT and other research organizations are testing chip technologies that could help bring eyesight to individuals with conditions like age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
Microchips place onto or inside the eyeball are assisted by a pair of electronic glasses the patient wears. Results vary, but many subjects report significant improvement in orientation and mobility. MIT hopes to have a device within two years so that they can get FDA approval from for use on chronic patients.
See information on macular degeneration, nutrition and health.
Avocados contain a wide range of phytonutrients, which are thought to help prevent many chronic diseases, and are excellent for the eye health. Nutrients include trans neoxanthin, neochrome, lutein-5, 6-epoxide and chrysanthemaxanthin. The scientists also confirmed the presence of lutein, zeaxanthin, b-cryptoxanthin, a-carotene and b-carotene (all nutrients that support retinal health).
Since most of the nutrients are located near the skin of the fruit, you get most nutrients out of an avocado by peeling the fruit before slicing it.
See more information on foods for the eyes.
Study shows that consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-3 rich fish could slash the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 40 per cent.
This study adds further support for increasing the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids with the finding that arachidonic acid (AA, omega-6 fatty acid) is associated with anincreased risk of AMD.
Ref: “Association Between Vitamin D and Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988 Through 1994″
Authors: N. Parekh, R.J. Chappell, A.E. Millen, D.M. Albert, J.A. Mares
Archives of Ophthalmology
May 125, 2007 Volume 125, Pages 671-679
See more related information on macular degeneration.
A large study found strong evidence that older people who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are at increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), although not for stroke. This result adds to mounting evidence that AMD and cardiovascular disease may share some risk factors–smoking, High Blood Pressure, inflammatory indicators such as C-reactive protein (related to inflammation), genetic variants such as complement factor H–and disease mechanisms.
The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) followed 1,786 white or African American participants, who were free of CHD or stroke at the study’s outset, for about seven years. The CHS received funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
The incidence of CHD was 25.76 percent in patients with AMD, compared with 18.9 percent in those without AMD. The association between AMD and CHD was somewhat stronger in people age 69 to 78 than age 79 and up. Data were adjusted to counter potentially confounding factors like hypertension, diabetes, and smoking.
Editor’s Notes: It is estimated that the eyes/visual system requires up to 25% of the nutrients we take into our bodies to maintain healthy vision, so this is another study showing the strong correlation between circulation and macular degeneration (and resulting loss of oxygen and nutrients that reach the eyes).
For more related information on nutrients for circulation and eye health, go to www.naturaleyecare.com
MIT engineers have designed a retinal implant for people who have lost their vision from retinitis pigmentosa or age-related macular degeneration, two of the leading causes of blindness.
The retinal prosthesis would help restore some vision by electrically stimulating the nerve cells that normally carry visual input from the retina to the brain.
The chip would not restore normal vision but could help blind people more easily navigate a room or walk down a sidewalk. “Anything that could help them see a little better and let them identify objects and move around a room would be an enormous help,” says Shawn Kelly, a researcher in MIT’s Research Laboratory for Electronics and member of the Boston Retinal Implant Project.
Patients who received the implant would wear a pair of glasses with a camera that sends images to a microchip attached to the eyeball. The glasses also contain a coil that wirelessly transmits power to receiving coils surrounding the eyeball. When the microchip receives visual information, it activates electrodes that stimulate nerve cells in the areas of the retina corresponding to the features of the visual scene. The electrodes directly activate optical nerves that carry signals to the brain, bypassing the damaged layers of retina.
The research team, led by John Wyatt, MIT professor of electrical engineering and computer science, recently reported a new prototype that they hope to start testing in blind patients within the next three years, after some safety refinements are made. Once human trials begin and blind patients can offer feedback on what they’re seeing, the researchers will learn much more about how to configure the algorithm implemented by the chip to produce useful vision.
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
See more information on the latest research on nutrition and vision.
An Ottawa company is developing computerized glasses to help those with severe visual impairments maximize the vision they have left.
The glasses, which look like an oversize pair of sunglasses, have a high-resolution camera on the outside and tiny LCD screens on the inside that project images to the wearer’s eyes. The glasses will also zoom in on and replay what has been seen with the press of a button.
The company, eSight Corp., received a $500,000 grant from the Ontario government to develop its evSpex product, and hopes to start commercial production next year.
Before the image is projected, it’s custom-processed by a tiny computer. “So that when it’s presented to a person who has diseased eyes … it’s presented to the pieces of their vision that are most functional,” said eSight Corp. company president Rob Hilkes.
Because the device continually records a loop of video, the user can save the last 10 seconds of what they saw at the press of a button so they can look again at something that went by too quickly. The video can be viewed later on a DVD player or computer. Users can also zoom in on certain things in their field of view
The product is expected to be able to help people with age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa. In the future, the company hopes to market the technology to people with normal vision as wearable binoculars, night vision goggles or video gaming devices.
SOURCE: High-tech glasses help the nearly blind see, CBC News, Sept. 11, 2009, http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/09/11/ottawa-esight-glasses-technology-company-blind.html
Scientists have found an association between fungicide use and retinal degeneration in the wives of farmers who are pesticide applicators. Researchers had already found an association with retinal degeneration among the farmers themselves in the Agricultural Health Study, a large study of farm families from Iowa and North Carolina.
Researchers reviewed data from questionnaires given to 31,173 women from 1993 to 1997 to determine whether wives of these farmer pesticide applicators were at increased risk of retinal degeneration. This information was evaluation to determine associations of specific pesticides and groups of pesticides based on function (fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and fumigants) or chemical structure (organophosphates, organochlorines, and carbamates) with eye disorders.
Their findings suggest that exposure to some fungicides and other pesticides may increase the risk of retinal degeneration; specific fungicides that appeared to drive this association were maneb or mancozeb and ziram.
Study authors noted that although these findings for retinal degeneration are based solely on self-reported disease, they are consistent with those reported for farmer pesticide applicators.
Learn more about macular degeneration at the Natural Eye Care website
SOURCE: Retinal Degeneration and Other Eye Disorders in Wives of Farmer Pesticide Applicators Enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study, Kirrane, et al, American Journal of Epidemiology 2005 161(11):1020-1029; doi:10.1093/aje/kwi140
Survey by The College of Optometrists finds 76% of parents do not protect their children’s eyes in the sun.
A new survey of 2000 British families shows that parents are risking their child’s eyesight by exposing them to bright sunlight without appropriate protection. Over three-quarters of parents questioned admitted to not making sure their child wears sunglasses when out in the sun.
Overexposure to sunlight can damage the retina and lens of the eye, increasing the risk of developing cataracts, macular degeneration and other eye conditions later in life. According to the World Health Organization, up to 80% of exposure to UV over a person’s lifetime occurs before the age of 18, so it is crucial that children wear sunglasses to minimize long-term damage.
The survey found that while 43% of parents ensure their child’s time in the sun is limited and 76% make sure they apply sunscreen to their child, buying sunglasses appears to be a much lower priority: 29% of those questioned do not even buy sunglasses for their children. Of those who do, only 25% choose sunglasses from a reputable brand or supplier, and 46% of parents surveyed choose price over protection when selecting sunglasses.
Dr Susan Blakeney, optometric adviser at The College of Optometrists, stated: “I am shocked to see that so many parents aren’t ensuring that their child’s eyes are protected in the sun, and am equally astounded to see that of those who do, many are opting for ‘cheap and cheerful’ over quality.”
The College of Optometrists recommends purchasing good quality, dark sunglasses that guarantee a safe level of UV protection.
SOURCE: Parents Risk their Children’s Eyesight in the Sun, The College of Optometrists, August 18, 2009, http://www.college-optometrists.org/index.aspx/pcms/site.News_and_Events.collegenews.parents_risk_their_childrens_eyesight_in_the_sun/
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