7 replies to this topic

[calmcookie]

Most people have no idea how much control they have over aging eyes. Does your eyesight HAVE to become worse and worse as you age? Absolutely not. No, no, no. What is the number one cause of blindness in America? Diabetes. Remember, diabetes is not a single, definitive disease ...... severe diabetes is simply on one end of a continuum. Diabetes ( type 2) occurs when we have high blood sugar and HIGH blood insulin levels. We are ALL somewhere on a continuum between severe diabetes on one end and optimal insulin / blood glucose on the other end. What is the NUMBER one cause of high blood sugar and high insulin levels - eating too much carbohydrate. Please read food labels. Sorry guys ... same ole soap box. I'll never quit. Stress also raises both insulin and glucose levels. Activity (exercise), of course, lowers both. So much more I could say about eyes, but gotta run and SEE the world! Chow for now and happy vision to all, C.C.

Edited by calmcookie, 25 May 2006 - 02:04 PM.

[Chilidawgz]

CC, I am with you on excess carbs and sugar. I can only control my blood sugar level by restricting carbs and portions of food on the plate. It's that or die from diabetes complications, pretty simple answer. (I exercise daily to keep the weight down). It's either discipline myself or be put on BP,Blood sugar and cholesterol medication (a slow death).

Edited by Chilidawgz, 25 May 2006 - 02:35 PM.

[maineman]

Actually macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the USA.

[James Quillian]

Actually macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the USA.

What is macular degeneration?

[maineman]

<h1 align="center">
</h1>Here's a copy of the patient hand out I give to my patients... hope this helps.


<h1 align="center">Age-Related Macular Degeneration</h1>
What is age-related macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is damage to the part of the eye called the macula. It is in the center of the retina. The retina is light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Cells in the retina change light into impulses that are sent to the brain. The brain interprets them as images. If the macula is damaged, you can no longer see fine detail in the center of your vision. Usually your side (peripheral) vision is not affected. However, the loss of central vision can make it difficult to read, drive, or see straight ahead.

AMD is a common problem for many people as they get older. It usually affects both eyes, but one eye may be affected before the other.


How does it occur?
There are two forms of AMD: wet and dry. The wet form occurs when new, fragile blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood and fluid. The leaks can rapidly damage the macula. In the dry form, the light-sensitive cells in the macula gradually break down. In both cases, a blind spot forms in or near the center of vision. The dry form is more common and causes a slower and often less severe loss of vision.

The cause of these changes is not known. Smoking may contribute to the problem. You may also be at greater risk if you have family members with AMD.


What are the symptoms?
AMD does not cause pain. The first signs of the condition are usually problems with your vision. Symptoms may include:

• blurred vision
• wavy appearance to straight lines (for example, a telephone pole may appear to be bent)
• a dark patch in the middle of words as you read
• a worsening of your color vision.

If just one eye is affected, you may not notice the loss of vision when you are using both eyes.


How is it diagnosed?
Your health care provider will review your symptoms and examine your eyes with a lighted tool called an ophthalmoscope. You may need a special test called fluorescein angiography by a medical eye doctor. In this test dye is put into a vein in your arm. The dye travels to blood vessels in your retina. Then pictures are taken of your retina. The pictures will show where the leaking blood vessels are behind your retina.


How is it treated?
If the leaking vessels are not in the center of the macula, the wet form of AMD can sometimes be treated by sealing the leaking vessels with a thermal laser. This may prevent further damage to the retina, particularly if the condition is caught early. Sealing blood vessels may leave a small blind spot near the center of your vision.

The center of the macula is very important for good vision. If the leaking vessels are directly in the center of the macula, a thermal laser treatment would cause too much vision loss. In this case, a treatment called photodynamic therapy may be used. For this procedure, a laser-activated dye is injected into your bloodstream. When the dye reaches the retina, a "cold" (nonthermal) laser is used to activate the dye to close the leaking blood vessels. These blood vessels can grow back, so the procedure must be repeated 5 or 6 times in the next 2 years. However, in some cases of wet AMD, this treatment will reduce the amount of vision loss you will have compared to having no treatment.

The risk of vision loss from dry AMD can sometimes be decreased with a vitamin and mineral supplement. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of this treatment.

If you have either form of AMD, low vision aids may help you with your daily activities. Low vision aids include such things as:

• magnifying glasses and telescopes
• closed-circuit TV
• clocks and phones with large numbers and reading material printed in large type.

Ask your health care provider for help in finding which low vision aids may be helpful for you.


How can I take care of myself?

• Tell your doctor if your vision changes in any way.
• Never ignore blurred vision, lines that appear wavy, blind spots, or loss of color vision.
• Have a complete eye exam every 2 or 3 years. If you have diabetes or a family history of eye disease, have your eyes checked at least once a year.

Reviewed and approved by the Wilmer Eye Institute of The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD. Web site: http://www.wilmer.jh...u....Displayed]

[hiker]

truth and peace seem to not coexist for some..that is information in itself. another truism about human nature: it is often difficult for people to listen to someone with a great amount of knowledge, because it may appear to threaten self-perceived ego....btw, Wayne Dyer has an interesting definition of ego: Edging God Out. Peace and harmony can sometimes be maximized by two practices: silence waiting for someone to invite us to share our knowledge ...in a public forum, it is a challenge to apply these practices when presented with questionable ideas presented without much support and/or without acknowledgement that it presents only one view, and the presenter is open to learning about other views.... Thank you all for your posts here and elsewhere...collaboration without competition in seeking learning is a good thing whenever it occurs, no matter how rare. Above all, I wish to thank poster, MSS, for I believe he consistently presents data for others to observe in a documented manner. We all need to simply thank each other more than we do in my opinion. Peace , Steve

Edited by hiker, 31 May 2006 - 12:00 AM.

[Guru Dudette]

What is the number one cause of blindness in America?

And my mother told me it was running with scissors....
But, what do I know?

[OEXCHAOS]

BB guns! M