Vision Self-Empowerment in a New Age

What Harms Eyesight?

Our eyes are constantly exposed to the external environment with frequent excess exposure to UVA/UVB light. Natural exposure to the sun is exacerbated by blue light exposure from mobile phones, E-readers, handheld gaming electronics, TV, computer monitors, and fluorescent and LED lighting.

In addition to blue/UV light, our long hours on computers and mobile phones cause stress on our visual system. Physical and visual fatigue reduces the free flow of energy and circulation to the eyes, often accompanied by muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and lower back.

The combination of the above and the effects of a poor diet, lack of essential nutrients, chronic stress, and health conditions such as chronic inflammatory conditions can result in progressive and sometimes irreversible vision loss. Sight loss may include pathologies such as cataracts, ocular atrophy, corneal opacity, age-related macular degeneration, uncorrected refractive error, posterior capsular opacification, uveitis, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinal detachment, undetermined disease, and other disorders involving oxidative stress and inflammation.

Other contributors to vision problems are smoking, excessive alcohol/drug use, overuse of eye drops, and lack of exercise.

There are many ways to support your vision and overall health. You can even reduce your risk of serious eye conditions that can result in vision loss and, in some cases, blindness.

Self-Empowerment

Let’s summarize some of the self-empowerment tools we have:

1. Eat a healthy diet. We believe our eyes require up to 25% of the nutrients we take into our bodies, second only to the brain. For more information on a healthy diet, read about the Vision Diet, a Mediterranean diet adaption. This diet includes: eating brightly colored foods and dark green leafy vegetables; avoiding trans fatty acids and fried foods, and minimizing fast foods. Reduce refined carbohydrates, particularly sugar, and refined carbohydrates such as white pasta, rice, and white bread. Good foods contain antioxidants and essential nutrients. They nourish the body and counteract the negative effects of excess free radicals and oxidative stress.
2. Exercise regularly. This helps keep your eyes and brain healthy. If you sit at a desk all day, take regular breaks to stretch and walk around. Go for a nice walk at lunchtime. Even a 20-minute walk daily can go a long way toward preserving health.
3. Manage stress. Modern life creates a lot of chronic stress that for many does not just end after the workday but can carry into the evenings. Find ways to relax, including social activities, walks in the woods, meditation, yoga, Qigong, etc.
4. Relationships. As much as possible, avoid people in your life who are regularly negative and non-supportive. Spend time with friendly people who love to laugh.

Oxidative Stress

Oxygen (O2) is essential for life. It is crucial for cellular aerobic breathing and ensures the energy cycle of life. Under normal conditions, aerobic metabolism predicts that O2 undergoes a reduction reaction, giving rise to water (H2O). In some situations, there is an incomplete reduction of O2, leading to the formation ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species, a highly reactive free radical).

Oxidative stress can result in the onset of many pathologies, including cancer, asthma, neurodegenerative diseases,  hormonal imbalances, cardiovascular-related conditions, infertility, dermatitis, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and premature aging.^{1 2 3} Antioxidants neutralize free radicals.

Oxidative stress contributes to eye diseases, such as dry-eye disorder, cataracts, glaucoma, eye surface disorders, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, age-related macular degeneration, and toxic neuropathies.^{4 5}

Dry eyes can be severe and chronic. This disorder can involve several portions of the eye, including the eyelids, tear glands, and various tissues of the eye surface.⁶ Dry eyes are often caused by significant increases in oxidative activity, associated with a decrease in antioxidant defenses in the fluids and tissues of the eye.

Supplementation

The eye is a complex structure, connected structurally and functionally with the vascular, nervous, endocrine, and immune tissue systems. Nutrients are moved through the blood and waste is eliminated (among other ways) through the lymph system. Targeted nutrients help support healthy circulation and detoxification, nourish our cells, and help reduce inflammation. Here are some of the top nutrients to consider:

Vitamin A, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Meso-zeaxanthin

Vitamin A can be derived from diet and supplements. The vitamin is important for vision in darkness, corneal and conjunctiva development, immune system functioning, and central nervous system formation.⁷ This vitamin is also essential in supporting the complex known as rhodopsin, which is responsible for generating a chain of reactions resulting in the transmission of light and optical perception to the brain via the optic nerve.

Good food sources include dark leafy greens, red, orange, and yellow vegetables, fish oils, and dairy.

Lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin are all present in the human retina. They filter out blue light, helping to prevent the damaging effects of overexposure to the eyes. These essential nutrients cannot be produced in the body, and therefore need to be consumed through diet and supplements. The absence of these carotenoids (deficiencies) found in the retina can be a prediction of the onset of macular degeneration and other retinal diseases. These nutrients are responsible for our visual acuity and central vision.^{8 9}

Good food sources include dark leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, collards, and kale, plus cabbage, broccoli, peas, spinach, lettuce, corn, and egg yolk.

Vitamin C and CoQ10

Vitamin C — also called “ascorbic acid” — is not synthesized in the body.

Instead, we can only get Vitamin C through diet and supplements. Vitamin C is found in the eye’s saline fluid located between the cornea and the crystalline (called aqueous humor). Ascorbic acid is also in the encapsulated fluid (vitreous humor) that keeps the shape of the eye between the lens and retina. In these parts of the eyes, its concentration exceeds plasma concentrations by 20 to 70 times.¹⁰

Vitamin C acts like an internal sunscreen in the eyes, protecting against the negative effects of UV light. Lutein and zeaxanthin also provide this protection. Ascorbic acid also serves as a potent antioxidant, neutralizing a wide range of free radicals. These free radicals include superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, and reactive nitrogen oxide.¹¹ Importantly, this vitamin helps protect the cornea, the lens, and other ocular tissues against oxidative damage. Research studies show a close correlation between deficiency levels of vitamin C and the risk of cataracts.¹²

Good food sources of Vitamin C include citrus, peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, cabbage, and other cabbage-family vegetables. Favor organic, especially since peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries have the highest levels of pesticides.

CoQ10 — also called ubiquinone — provides critical functions in the body.

For example, CoQ10 supports energy production (ATP) in mitochondria, the energy batteries of our cells. In its reduced form, CoQ10 provides direct and indirect antioxidant protection, helps break down cellular debris, participates in gene expression, and mediates cell death.¹³

Deficiencies in CoQ10 can contribute to different forms of retinopathies. Therefore, this nutrient can play an important role in the progress of retinal conditions.¹⁴ Plasma levels of CoQ10 are significantly low in patients with macular degeneration, suggesting a correlation between CoQ10 and AMD pathogenesis (the progress of the disease).¹⁵  Studies also suggest that there may be a correlation between low levels of CoQ10 and glaucoma in seniors of advanced age.¹⁶

Good food sources of CoQ10 include fatty fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Other potent nutrients we will discuss in our next newsletter include astaxanthin, PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids), and trehalose – Click to read part II of this article. In a future post, we will discuss curcumin, quercetin, grape seed extract, and bergamot.

Suggested Supplements

Advanced Eye & Vision Support Formula (whole food) 60 vcaps

Dr. Grossman’s Meso Plus Retinal Support and Computer Eye Strain Formula with Astaxanthin 90 vcaps

ReVision Formula (wild-crafted herbal formula) 2 oz – based on classic Chinese medicine Liver tonic formula to help support healthy circulation and blood flow throughout the eyes and body.

Dr. Grossman’s Vitamin C Plant-Based Formula – 60 caps

Dr. Grossman’s Dry Eye and Tear Film Support Formula

In This Series:

Vision Self-Empowerment in a New Age
Vision Empowerment – Part II

Footnotes