Best's Disease

information on diet, nutrition, self-help & treatment options

Best's disease, also known as Best's vilelliform macular dystrophy, is a hereditary form of progressive macular dystrophy.

Certain nutrients such as lutein, zeaxanthin, vinpocetine, l-lysine, a number of vitamins & enzymes, and fish oil may help slow down Best's Disease and preserve vision.

Some research indicates that daily use of Microcurrent Stimulation may be helpful.
See nutritional recommendations
See self-help recommendations

The condition can be identified between 3 and 15 years of age.

There are five stages to this disease as follows:

Stage 1: Initially a recording of eye movements and eye position identifies abnormal electrical potential. Eyes will be tested resting or moving in dark and light conditions.
Stage 2: Usually occurs between 10-25 years of age. Typical yellow spots, sometimes accompanied by material leaking into a space by the retina can be observed; an observation called "egg-yolk" lesion.
Stage 3: When part of the lesion becomes absorbed, this is identified as stage three. Even at this stage there may be little effect on vision.
Stage 4: At this stage, when the "egg-yolk" breaks up in a process referred to as "scrambled-egg", sight will probably be affected.
Stage 5: The fifth and final stage is when the condition causes the most severe sight loss.

MacuHealth with LMZ

The macula
The macula is located at the back of the eye. It is a small area of about 1mm in diameter from which we get our sharpest vision. In the macula there is a concentration of cone cells. These cells are responsible for color vision, sharp visual acuity and central vision. There are 6-7 million cone cells in the retina, the highest concentration of which is in the fovea, a tiny area in the center of the macula.

Symptoms

Gradual loss of central vision.

Nutritional Supplements for Best's Disease

These are the most important supplements and recommendations.

Shopping Tips

Essential: MacuHealth with LMZ - 90 capsules (3 mo. supply) with10mg of meso-zeanthin per capsule. Meso-zeanthin is an essential antioxidant found in the macula (center of the retina).

Essential: Microcurrent Stimulation 100ile Purchase Option - Microcurrent Stimulation helps stimulate energy production (ATP) in the retina, improve circulation & reduce waste build-up.

Essential: Advanced Eye and Vision Support Formula - Dr. Grossman's Advanced Eye & Vision (whole food) Support Formula - 60 vcaps per bottle Promotes clear vision and healthy eyes, including macula, retina and lens, supports healthy eye growth, and rejuvenation, and supports the body's natural detoxification processes with targeted, quality antioxidants for vision.

Essential: Carlsons Super Omega-3 Gems 1000 mg 130 softgels / 250 softgels - Super Omega-3 Gems 1000 mg 130 softgels / 250 softgels - Fish body oil is the only major source of the polyunsaturated Omega 3's EPA and DHA

Very Important: Viteyes Complete - Viteyes Complete is the most comprehensive eye multivitamin available, and serves both as a multivitamin and an eye multivitamin.

Important: Ginger Root Organic Extract 2 oz (GING4) - Ginger Root Organic Extract

Helpful: Astaxanthin 60 gels - This is a powerful antioxidant in the retina.

Helpful: Renewal Greens 10.6 oz - Comprehensive high quality all organic green drink for overall health. Includes organic vegetable blend, wheat grass blend and digestive enzymes

Causes

Best's vitelliform macular dystrophy is a condition that tends to run genetically in families.

Conventional Treatment

There is no current conventional treatment.

Self Help

Since we consider most eye conditions to be a reflection of the health of the whole body, lifestyle choices and diet can play a major factor in getting and maintaining good vision. Below are some recommendations:

Diet & Nutrition

Daily juicing of vegetables and fruits (preferably organic). Our suggested best's disease recipe is some combination of the following: ginger, garlic, leeks, parsley, beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, spinach, apples, grapes, raspberries, lemon, chlorophyll, wheat grasses (not too much fruit). See more juicing information.
Reduce or eliminate drinking caffeine and sodas
Avoid aspartame (labeled diet foods) and man-made fats (corn oil and safflower oil, trans fats and hydrogenated vegetable oils including canola oil, and especially margarines).
Eliminate deep fat fried foods
Avoid monosodium glutanate (MSG) used as a flavor enhancer which is a potential retinal toxin (Inv Oph 1996; 37: 1618-24), and fat blockers like Olestra which impair the absorption of carotenoids (Argus, August 1996;19:18:July 1996;19:22).
Eating greater amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol appear to increase the risk of AMD.
Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin such as Dr. Grossman's Whole Food Multivitamin and/or a good green drink such as Renewal Greens.

Research

Although the underlying physiological cause may be unique, there may be similarities in terms of nutritional, diet and lifestyle recommendations made by Dr. Grossman for eye conditions that result in similar vision symptoms to those of Best's Disease.