Tag: nutrients

Highlight: What foods should I be eating for good eye health?

Nutrition for Good Eye Health – the Basics

Disclaimer

Eye Healthy Nutrients

Click here for a good place to start to learn about aspects of nutrition that have been recommended for good eye health.

 

<–Click on the photo for a larger image.

Click here for more details from AOA (American Optometic Association) about this infographic.

 

 

 

Click here for a printable grocery list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diet Plans for Good Eye Health

            • not listed in any particular order; we aren’t making any recommendations & we make no money on the sale of any of the products below.
            • Macular Degeneration Diet and Prevention Plan by Dr. Stuart Richer, OD, PhD, Ocular-Nutrition Laboratory in DVA Medical Center Eye Clinic, North Chicago, IL
            • Eyefoods has a diet plan that you can learn about in their book, on their website, Facebook page or blog
            • Eat For Your Sight Cookbook from the AMDF (American Macular Degeneration Foundation), the cookbook is available here or through amazon.com
            • Mediterranean Diet for eye health
            • Anti-inflammatory Diet
            • Cure AMD, proposed eating plan (based on ‘ancestral diet’) to prevent AMD and reverse it in its early stages.  I’ve corresponded with the author & expressed my concern about his use of the word ‘cure’.  He said he believes so strongly on his research that he could not use any other title.
      • Disclaimer:  We have a standard disclaimer that no one reads ::smile:: so I just want to remind you that we say in it:
        • Any information, books, products or any other materials at My Macular Degeneration  Journal/ey are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease, disorder or health condition, and is provided for educational purposes only.
        • Always consult your doctor with eye health questions about your specific medical conditions and before starting any diet, exercise, or supplement program.

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I Am Not a Doctor

Commentary: Lin just sent me a post from someone in the Facebook group. She asked for my reactions. The person is claiming he completely reversed neovascular (wet) AMD with nutritional treatments. Here goes.

First the disclaimer. I am not a doctor. I am not a nutritionist. I am a woman with dry AMD who has tried to educate herself about her disorder. Therefore I do not, by any stretch of the imagination, have all of the answers. End of disclaimer.

That said, let me congratulate him on his greatly improved vision! I am glad he are doing well.

I know some of what he says is true. In general the diets of those in the developed world are atrocious. We should be eating many more fruits and vegetables, especially our leafy greens, than we do. The reason taking the AREDS/AREDS2 supplement works to slow the progression of the disease is probably our poor diets. If we ate well, the supplements would not be so needed. [Lin/Linda: I have to mention that there is some risk taking the AREDS or AREDS2 with 80mg zinc.  It can cause problems in the genitourinary tract but there is evidence that for people with certain genes, that high dose of zinc can cause their AMD to progress faster. Since not everyone has easy access to the genetic tests, there are supplements with no zinc or less zinc.  Check out this post for more information.]

Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels. This is a hallmark of wet AMD. There is some evidence angiogenesis is part of the healing process and may be triggered by inflammation (Reiner O. Schlingemann in Role of Growth Factors and the Wound Healing Response in Age-Related Macular Degeneration). There is also evidence that retinal hypoxia (in English? Your retina is gasping for oxygen) is a trigger for angiogenesis and neovascular (wet) AMD. (Citation same guy. It is so nice not to have to follow APA format? [Lin/Linda: APA is the American Psychological Association and when you write something for them, you need to follow a very strict format for references to articles.]

That said, theoretically it is possible he hit upon a combination of nutrients that would reduce inflammation and increase oxygenation to his retina, thus somehow stopping the angiogenesis. Did this happen? No clue. I am just sort of a slightly-too-smart-for-my-own-good, visually impaired lady. (Gets me in a lot of trouble.) Is it possible? Sure. “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophies.” (That is the bard, of course).

Now, it would be my supposition – again totally unfounded – he was not in advanced AMD and had not experienced much if any photoreceptor death i.e. geographic atrophy. Unfortunately from what I have been told dead is dead with those. They would not have come back.

That is pretty much my take on it. Again when it comes down to it, I know nothing but I have a helluva lot of opinions. Don’t believe me. Offer your opinions. What do you folks think? Continue reading “I Am Not a Doctor”

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