Uveitis

information on diet, nutrition, & self-help recommendations

Uveitis means "inflammation of the uvea", or the middle layer of the eye.

Certain nutrients such as Serraflazyme, Fish Oil, Vitamin C and MSM may help heal Uveitis and preserve vision.
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See dietary recommendations.

The uvea consists of three structures

The iris, the colored tissue surrounding the pupil.
The ciliary body, muscle, located behind the iris which focuses the lens.
The choroid, containing blood vessels that line the back of the eye.

Inflammation occurring in any of these three structures is termed "uveitis". Inflammation in uveitis may involve any but not necessarily all of these three structures. Depending upon which structures are inflamed, uveitis may be further subcategorized into one of three main diagnoses, these include:

iritis or anterior uveitis,
cyclitis or intermediate uveitis
choroiditis or posterior uveitis.

Severe and permanent visual loss can result from uveitis. In addition, uveitis can lead to other ocular complications, which may produce vision loss, including glaucoma, cataracts, or retinal damage. Early detection and treatment is necessary to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss.

Symptoms

Depending on which part of the eye is inflamed in uveitis different combinations of these symptoms may be present:

Redness, light sensitivity, floaters, blurry vision and/or pain.

These symptoms may come on suddenly, and you may not experience any pain. The symptoms described above may not necessarily mean that you have uveitis. However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your eye doctor for a complete exam.

Nutritional Supplements for Uveitis

These are the most important supplements and recommendations.

Shopping Tips

On a tight budget?

Here's our single most important recommendation:
Doctor's Choice: 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: 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

Essential: Serraflazyme (Serrapeptase) - Serraflazyme 100 tabs

Essential: MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) Capsules - MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane) 1000 mg 120 vcapsules

Essential: Vitamin C Complex 1000mg 120 vcaps - Vitamin C Complex 1000 mg 120 vtabs with natural buffers to help the body utilize the vitamin C more efficiently,

Helpful: MSM Eyedrops 1 oz (30ml) - MSM softens eye tissues, equalizes pressure, repairs damaged membranes, and helps tissues be able to absorb nutrients for better vision.

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

Uveitis may develop following eye trauma or surgery, in association with diseases which affect other organs in the body, or may be a condition isolated to the eye itself.

Conventional Treatment

Medical treatment of uveitis must be aggressive to prevent glaucoma, to prevent scarring of the structures inside the eye and to prevent possible blindness. Different medications are used to control the original cause of the uveitis, if known, and to minimize the inflammation itself. Aspirin (not aspirin substitutes) or Rimadyl® by mouth and indomethacin, Profenal®, Ocufen®, Voltaren® and corticosteroids (cortisone drugs) minimize the inflammatory process. Corticosteroids may be administered by injection under the conjunctiva (moveable white tissue of the eye), by eye drops or as an oral medication or a combination of these means depending on the location of uveitis. Eye drops are most often used for anterior uveitis. Injections and oral medication are used for posterior uveitis or panuveitis. Drops in the eye must be postponed if damage to the corneal surface is present (ulcer) because the corticosteroids prevent healing of the ulcer or lead to a worsening of the ulcer.

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:

The Vision Diet - recommended in Natural Eye Care: An Encyclopedia on CD. This CD covers 29 major eye conditions with specific nutrient, diet, exercise and juicing instructions by eye condition, plus much more.
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).
Eliminate deep fat fried foods, 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).
Limit your alcohol consumption to 1 glass of red wine at night. Alcohol interferes with liver functions, reducing protective glutathione levels (Alcohol 1993;10;469-75).
Eliminate smoking. Smoking among other things produces cyanide, a retinal toxin.
Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin and/or and organic green drink daily such as Renewal Greens.
Limit the amount of medications (both prescription and non-prescription as much as possible. Make sure to work closely with your doctor.
Exercise daily - do at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. Walking and swimming are two excellent forms of exercise.
Managing your emotional health is very important in maintaining physical health. Fear (fear of failure, responsibility, of being alone, of death, etc.) is at the root of many of life's problems, and is a major factor in the development of eye conditions.
Manage your stress. Take up Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, walks in the woods, or prayer on a daily basis.

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Studies

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.