Eye Exam can tell about your health condition…

The link below takes you to a feature from this morning’s Today Show, a great article about what your eye exam can reveal, and different red flags you can look out for that you may not have known before.

=> Vision of health: What your eyes reveal

Dry Eye Syndrome

Patients with dry eye disease (DED) suffer from chronic ocular discomfort. Even with current therapeutics and techniques in the management of DED, it is not unusual for these symptoms to be stubbornly persistent. There is a great amount of interest in the use of essential fatty acids (EFAs) as an adjunct in the treatment of DED. In other diseases, such as atherosclerotic heart disease, EFAs have been shown to play a role in inflammatory processes leading to observed pathologic changes. The cause of dry eye is often inflammatory in nature, so methods of modifying inflammation with EFAs may prove helpful to patients with DED.

Foods and supplements containing essential fatty acids (EFAs) are used to treat DED, some with more success than others. It is widely believed that omega-3 essential fatty acids, of which North Americans in particular are believed to have a very low normal dietary intake, may have benefits for maintaining normal tear production.¹ The two best sources of omega-3s are dark, oily, cold-water fish, and flaxseed. They are known to have a multitude of health benefits, yet, as a population, Americans are omega-3 deficient. In fact, Americans’ dietary intake of omega-3s is among the lowest in the world.

Omega-6s are another group of essential fatty acids. Americans obtain an excess of omega-6s through their consumption of beef, dairy, vegetable shortening and cooking oils (i.e. hamburgers, cheeseburgers, pizza, ice cream, potato chips, etc.). It is thought that intake ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 EFAs ideally should be at least 1:4 and preferably 1:2.3. The effectiveness of EFAs as a treatment for DES is dependent on the proper balance of omega-6 and omega-3 EFAs.

The effectiveness of EFA treatment of DED is also dependent on specific nutrient cofactors that aid the metabolic conversion to anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.These nutrient cofactors stimulate the production of healthy goblet cellsand enhance production of clearer and thinner meibomian gland secretion. Omega-3 EFAs also play an important role in the synthesis of meibum, the oil secreted by meibomian glands. People with omega-3 EFA deficiency typically have a thicker meibomian gland secretion.The use of omega-3 EFA supplements results in clearing and thinning of meibomian gland secretions which in turn improves symptoms of dry eye. Properly designed formulations also encourage lacrimal gland secretionand the production of tear lactoferrin.

To take advantage of the benefits of high omega-3 to omega-6 ratios, supplementation with oral compounds has become favorable. There are many options for EFA supplementation and, as these are unregulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is very difficult to recommend a standardized formulation or dosage for patients. Typical omega-3 fish oil preparations contain 300mg of combined eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) per 1000mg capsule.Prescription omega-3 acids such as Lovaza, which are FDA-approved as treatment for hypertriglyceridemia, contain approximately 840mg EPA and DHA per 1000mg capsule. There are no formal recommendations or FDA-approved formulations for dietary consumption of EFAs in the treatment of eye disease, or the promotion of eye health.From the cardiovascular point of view, the American Heart Association recommends two servings per week of fish high in omega-3 EFAs. It might be that these recommendations carry similar ocular benefits.

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Preventing Cataracts

As the population ages, cataracts are becoming a growing health concern.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye lens to such an extent that it affects vision. The majority of cataracts develop due to the aging process, and by age 80, more than half of all Americans have them. However, there are also other type of cataracts: secondary cataracts, which form after surgery for other ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma; traumatic cataracts, which can develop after an eye injury; congenital cataracts; and radiation-inducted cataracts. Cataracts can occur in just one eye, or bilaterally.

Age-related cataracts can develop in two ways. Protein clumping in the capsule of lens causes poor transmission of light, leading to blurred and cloudy vision. Also, the normally clear lens can develop a yellow or brown tint, making it difficult to differentiate between dark colors such as dark blue and black .

Risk factors for the development of cataracts include aging, certain diseases such as diabetes (which also causes diabetic retinopathy), personal behavior such as smoking and alcohol abuse, and environmental/professional factors such as exposure to radiation or sunlight.

For instance, a study at the University of Iceland discovered that commercial airline pilots have a 3-fold increase in cataracts compared to non-pilots due to ionizing cosmic radiation at high altitudes. This radiation is normally filtered out by the atmosphere before reaching the earth. The pilots developed nuclear cataracts, which occur in the gelatinous interior of the lens, as opposed to cortical cataracts, which occur in the front capsule of the lens and are associated with UV light. The study recommended sunglasses to filter sunlight in the cockpit as a precautionary measure to prevent any synergistic effects of UV light, but offered no solution to the basic problem of radiation exposure during high-altitude flights.

Cataracts can be discovered in a routine eye exam, or after the patient complains of symptoms such as cloudy or blurred vision, poor color perception, glare and haloes around lights, poor night vision, double vision, or frequent eyewear prescription changes. Some of these symptoms can also be caused by diseases other than cataracts.

In the early stages, the symptoms of cataracts may be relieved by stronger eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses and magnifying lenses. However, if the cataract formation progresses, it may interfer intolerably with activities of everyday living. At this stage, surgery to remove the clouded natural lens and replace it with a synthetic one is the only effective treatment. Surgery relieves vision problems in 90% of cataract patients; however, many elderly cataract patients have other ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma or age-related macular degeneration which also affect vision.

There are two different surgical procedures to remove cataracts. In phacoemulsification, also called “small incision cataract surgery”, a small incision is made in the cornea, and an ultrasonic probe is used to break up the diseased lens so it can be removed by suction. Extracapsular surgery is more rarely done, and in this case the surgeon makes a longer incision on the side of the cornea and removes the core of the lens in one piece before suctioning out the remaining pieces. Following removal of the natural lens, an artificial lens, called an intraocular lens (IOL), is inserted. The surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis under local anaesthetic and sedation.

Cataract surgery is usually safe, but complications such as infection, bleeding and retinal detachement occur in a few patients. Other co-existing eye disorders such as severe myopia increase this risk. Retinal detachment is a medical emergency, and can be ignored by the patient because it causes no pain. A post-operative patient who has symptoms of “floaters” or light flashes must be evaluated immediately for retinal detachment, since early treatment can prevent loss of vision.

There are protective nutritional measures against cataracts available to everyone. In a study on nutrition and disease performed by the Harvard School of Public Health on 50,828 nurses, it was found that women taking vitamin C supplements of 250 to 500 mg daily for a decade or more decreased their odds of developing cataracts requiring surgery by 45%. Vitamin A also plays a role; the same study found that women with the highest beta-carotene and vitamin A intakes lowered their risk by 39%. In another study, taking 400 mg of vitamin E daily reduced cataract formation by 50%, and in a related study, it was found that people with the highest blood levels of vitamin E had half the risk of developing cataracts as those with the lowest blood levels. Lutein and zeaxanthin, found in vegetable such as spinach and kale, are also said to be protective. Trace minerals such as zinc and selenium are essential for the function of anti-oxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase, and doctors often add these minerals to eye-protective vitamin formulas.

Vision Health

Doctors say maintaining vision health can be especially important for women. In fact, a new report from the National Women’s Health Resource Center: Women and Healthy Vision shows that women are at higher risk than men of having vision problems-including blindness-as they age. Fortunately there are ways to keep your eyes healthy. Try these tips:

1. Quit smoking. If you smoke, you’re much more likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, than nonsmokers. AMD is the most common cause of blindness in those over 65. While there are some ways to slow its progression, there is no cure.

2. Wear sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat when you’re in the sun. These two simple steps can reduce your exposure to eye-damaging UV rays up to 18-fold. If you wear contacts, ask your eye care specialist about contact lenses with UV protection.

3. Watch your weight. Being overweight is a major risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in those under 65. In addition, the Nurses’ Health Study from Harvard Medical School found medically obese women were 36 percent more likely to develop cataracts.

4. Take fish oil supplements daily, or eat fish two or three times a week. There’s some evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and other foods may reduce your risk of AMD. Conversely, limit the amount of vegetable oil in your diet.

5. Eat three or more servings of fruit a day. In one study, women who did so reduced their AMD risk by 36 percent compared to those who ate less than 1.5 servings.

6. Eat your spinach. What Popeye didn’t know was that spinach is a rich source of lutein and zea-xanthin, powerful antioxidants that can reduce the risk of certain eye diseases, like AMD. Other good sources include any kind of leafy green vegetable such as collards and kale, as well as eggs and orange-colored fruits.

7. See your eye care professional for a full vision examination at least once every two years. Go more often if you have diabetes or any other eye-related condition.

8. Get a walk in every day. In one study, glaucoma patients who walked briskly four times per week for 40 minutes lowered the pressure within their eyes enough so they could stop taking their glaucoma medication.

9. Change your eye makeup every three to six months. It becomes contaminated with bacteria and can infect your eye.

10. Don’t fall asleep in your daily wear contact lenses. In fact, don’t ever wear them longer than they’re designed to be worn.

Always remember these vision health tips to keep your eyes healthy.

Lasik Eye Surgery

Does wearing spectacles or contact lenses seem cumbersome to you? Are you considering LASIK eye surgery – one of the most prevalent and successful refractive surgery techniques? I suggest you hold your horses and rather request the valuable assistance of an expert surgeon, since LASIK eye surgery is not for everyone. Read on to see whether you are a potential candidate for LASIK eye surgery.

An important aspect to bear in mind while considering LASIK eye surgery is the patient’s age. Since the vision typically experiences a continuous change until the age of 18, you must be at least 18 years old (21 for some laser ablations) to undergo LASIK. Furthermore, if you are myopic, you should defer LASIK awaiting your refraction to stabilize, since myopia may continue to increase until a patient’s mid to late 20s.

Pregnant or nursing mothers are advised against undergoing LASIK, though they might go for LASIK at a later stage in life. Also, you must not be taking certain prescription drugs, such as oral prednisone or Accutane. To be a potential LASIK candidate, your eyes must be healthy with a stabilized refraction. Moreover, LASIK is typically not recommended for patients with herpes infections of the eye, diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, glaucoma, or cataracts.

LASIK is not a panacea for all vision anomalies. You must have realistic expectations while you consider LASIK eye surgery. Consult your surgeon to check out if you are a potential candidate for monovision. LASIK can be used to impart monovision, that is, one eye corrected for near vision and the other for distant vision. The crucial aspect is to adjust to this particular type of vision correction. If you can do the same, your dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses may be eliminated.

It is imperative that you discern whether you are a potential candidate for LASIK surgery or not. You must weigh the pros and cons before undergoing surgery. If you are happy wearing contact lenses or eyeglasses in order to compensate for the refractive error, and you certainly don’t believe that wearing eyeglasses cramps your style, then you could very well forego LASIK surgery. After all, LASIK is a surgical procedure and hence it’s bound to have associated risks and complications.