Dont turn a BLIND eye to BLINDNESS

Amongst the five senses, the sense of sight is probably of utmost importance to most of us. Being the windows to the world, we cannot imagine when the shutters to these windows are spoilt.


Unfortunately, not everyone wakes up to see the light of day. For the elderly, this ray of hope can be infinitely precious in their golden years. With average lifespan rising for most developed societies, the problem of losing sight is becoming more acute for the elderly the longer they live. 4 out of 5 major causes of blindness are accredited to aging, namely cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy.

Despite the advancement in medical technology to correct all the visual problems, patients are still not coming forward. Early treatment can help to slow or even halt visual loss. Most people do not seem to understand the eye diseases as there are not much obvious symptoms till too late to ignore.

Anatomy of the eye

The lens in an eye comprises water and proteins that keep it clear to enable light to pass through. With aging or certain medical conditions, the proteins clump together and cloud the lens, affecting the flow of light passing through to the retina. Symptoms like blurred vision, changes in color perception and double vision occur.

Cornea: Clear front window of the eye that transmits and focuses light in the eye

Lens: Transparent structure that changes shape to focus light rays on the retina from near or far objects

Iris: A circular muscle that controls the size of the pupil, regulating the amount of light entering the eye

Conjunctiva: A thin, clear layer of skin covering the front of the eye, including the sclera

Retina: Nerve layer that senses light and create electrical impulses that travel through the optic nerve to the brain

Macula: Small central area in the retina that contains special light-sensitive cells and allows us the see the details sharply

Optic nerve:  Carries signals to the brain to convert into images that we see

Controllable factors

Under-corrected refractive errors like short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism are common problems that are not difficult to manage. However, in rare situation, it is not properly fixed and can lead to complications that causes blindness.

In a developed society refractive errors and diabetic retinopathy are common and can be controlled by changing one’s lifestyle to promote visual health.

-  To prevent myopia, children should be trained from young to spend more time reading under bright natural lighting preferably outdoors and take regular vision breaks.

-  Working class people who have to stare at the computer screen all day long are likely to develop eye trouble like dry eyes, double vision and eye irritation - have to take regular short intervals, use moisturising eye-drops and consider taking more antioxidant foods.

-  Diabetic patients should manage their sugar level well to prevent progression into retinopathy.

As for less developed countries, vision loss is usually attributed to lack of nutrition, especially Vitamin A and protein found in the light-absorbing retinal pigment. Cost may be the prime consideration for the poor out there.

Uncontrollable factors

Not setting your sight on improving vision can put you at risk 5 common eye conditions that can lead to blindness:

1. CATARACT

Cataract is the No 1 cause of blindness in Singapore, though it is treatable and easily reversible. More than a third of a population above 40 have cataracts. This proportion rises to more than 90% for those aged 70 and above.
 

In a normal eye, light passes through the transparent lens to the retina where it is changed into nerve signals to be transmitted to the brain. The lens must be clear for the retina to receive a sharp image. Cloudy lens from a cataract causes the image to be blurred.

A cataract occurs when the proteins in the lens break down and clump together, resulting in clouding of the lens that hinders light from entering the eye and causes vision to become blurred over time. Is made worst if the lens of the eye thickens and becomes too clouded or opaque. Some patients may see halos around lights or dull coloring on spotting objects. For majority sufferers, the feeling is more like looking through a foggy car window or a wax paper.

Are there other types of cataract?

Yes. Although most cataracts are related to aging, there are other types of cataract:

1. Secondary cataract. Cataracts can form after surgery for other eye problems, such as glaucoma. Also can develop in people with other health problems, like diabetes or linked to steroid use.

2. Traumatic cataract. Cataracts can develop after an eye injury few years later.

3. Congenital cataract. Some babies are born with cataracts or develop during childhood, often in both eyes. The effect can be so mild and do not affect vision or serious for the lenses to be removed.

4. Radiation cataract. Cataracts can develop after exposure to some types of radiation.

Causes

The most common cause is aging with 1/3 of people above 40 having it and rises over 90% by 70 and above. As one ages, the resistance of the lens begins to decline, allowing free radicals to attack the structural proteins, enzymes and cell membranes of the lens.

Other risk factors for cataract include:

• Certain diseases such as diabetes. This is where high blood pressure quickly builds up, producing a gradual thickening of the blood vessels inside the eyes to form hemorrhages in the retina and the vitreous humor, eventually leading to blindness for severe cataracts.
• Personal behavior such as smoking and alcohol use.
• The environment such as prolonged exposure to ultra-violet rays present in sunlight without adequate protection.
• Heavy metal poisoning,
• Injury to the eye.
• Use of certain drugs like steroids.

Symptoms

. Cloudy or blurry vision.
· Colors seem faded or dull.
· Glare – Headlights, lamps or sunlight may appear too bright. A halo may appear around lights.
. Poor night vision.
· Double vision or multiple images in one eye. (This symptom may clear as the cataract gets larger)
· Frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.

What to do?

+ Wear sunglasses under the hot sun and a hat with a brim to block ultraviolet sunlight may help to delay cataract.
+ Stop smoking.
+ For age-related cataract, eating 3 servings of green leafy vegetables, fruits and other foods loaded with antioxidants is found to reduce one's risk by 10-15%. They help to clear free radicals that may find its way to the blood capillaries serving the retina.
+ A simple treatment to remove the cloudy lens to be replaced by a clear artificial one if the need arises.
+ Diabetic and chronic illness patients need to manage carefully.
+ Take supplements containing Vitamin A and B, and CoQ10 help to slow cataract formation.

A cataract left untreated may swell and cause secondary glaucoma. It can occur in either or both eyes but cannot spread from one eye to the other.

2. GLAUCOMA

Glaucoma, affecting only 5% of the population is a serious eye disease marked by an increase in the pressure that the fluid within the eyeball exert on other parts of the eye. This fluid known as aqueous humor is normally drained off into the bloodstream through a mesh-like channel but slows down in this instance. The increased pressure can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to your brain. In the early stage, the side vision is lost. Gradually the field of vision straight ahead diminishes into a narrower and narrower circle. Hence, the damage can be visual impairment like blind spots and in the worst scenario where damage is irreversible - blindness.

Causes

Majority of the patients are over 40 because as we get older, the focusing lens inside the eyes grow bigger, worsening the crowding effect. The iris can advance forward to block the angle of the eye.

The risk rises when there is a family history of glaucoma, extreme short sightedness or chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. Other possibilities are eye inflammation, advanced cataracts, tumors, injuries and surgery.

Symptoms

The patient does not realise the onset of the disease as it progresses slowly and painlessly, destroying the peripheral vision before central vision, causing tunnel vision.
One symptom of chronic glaucoma is glasses even new ones, not seem to help.
Other symptoms caused by rise in the pressure of the eyes include excessive tearing, seeing halos around light, pain and redness in the eyes, blurred vision, headache and nausea.



What to do -

+ Apply eye drops to expand the draining channels and lower the pressure, preventing further nerve damage.
+ Avoid getting over-excited, angry, sad, stay up late, insomnia, dimly lit environment, emotional stress – may increase intraocular pressure.
+ Avoid irritant foods like tea, coffee and alcohol.
+ Eyes fixed on the computer for more than 4 hours a day increases the chance of getting glaucoma by 70%. Get a screen saver to cut the glare if possible.
+ Conduct a test every 2 years for over 35 years ago individuals with inherent risk.  For positive sign the eyeball is hard to the touch. 
+ Acute glaucoma can be sudden and painful to require immediate attention which may necessitate surgery even thought is detected early.
+ Laser treatment or surgery for advanced stage due to late discovery.
+ Take supplements:  Lutein + zeaxanthin, antioxidants, marine oil, gingko biloba

3. AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (AMD)

The macula is yellowish in color, consists of lutein and zeaxanthin, derived primarily from our diet. (For information, zeaxanthin predominates at the macula, while lutein is found mostly in the retina) Responsible for fine vision, it affects the day-to-day activities such as reading, driving and even recognising faces. Its main function is to absorb excess blue and ultraviolet light that enter the eye, and acts as a natural sunblock (analogous to sunglasses) for this area of the retina.


Degeneration of the macula can cause a progressive visual loss and has become the most common cause of blindness in many developed countries. It usually strikes people over 55 suddenly or gradually leading to blindness. The risk of developing it rises from 2% at age 40 to 10% by 70.

There are 2 forms of AMD: ‘wet’ and ‘dry’.

What is wet AMD?

In the wet form of AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula and leak blood and fluids. This causes retinal cells to die and creates blind spots in central vision. An early symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear wavy. In most instances, peripheral and color vision are unaffected. It is caused mostly by free radical damage due to sun radiation, aging, atherosclerosis, hypertension and environmental toxins, as a result of harmful deposits on the walls of the blood vessels, which then becomes narrowed and blocked. Studies found that after 5 years, 18.2% of those with wet AMD had developed a stroke, as compared to 9.9% with dry AMD.

What is dry AMD?

Dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. This form of AMD is more common than the wet form. One of the most common early symptoms of dry AMD is yellow deposits under the retina and is painless.

Causes

+ Age is the greatest risk factor for AMD. The condition may occur during middle age, but studies show that people over the age of 50 are at greater risk than other age groups.
+ Other risk factors include smoking, obesity, hypertension and family history.
+ Blue-ray and ultraviolet ray are two main culprits that can destroy macular tissue and cause macular degeneration.


Note:  Sunlight is the main source of blue light, and being outdoors during daylight is where most of us get most of the exposure. However, less than 1% of UV radiation from the sun reaches the retina as the anterior structures of the eyes (namely the cornea and lens) are very effective at blocking UV rays from reaching the light-sensitive retina at the back of the eye ball.


More damaging are those man-made indoor sources of blue light, including fluorescent and LED lighting and flat-screen televisions. Not forgetting the heavy usage of display screens of computers, electronic notebooks, smartphones and other digital devices emitting significant amounts of blue light. Though the amount of HEV light these devices emit is only a fraction of that emitted by the sun, virtually all visible blue light penetrates the cornea and lens to reach the retina.


Symptoms


Symptoms include vision deterioration, distortion of image/line, agility decline, sensitive to light, difficulty in driving and reading.

What to do?

Leading a healthy lifestyle, you can reduce your risk of developing AMD -
+ Eat a healthy diet high in green leafy vegetables and fish. Avoid high content of fat, salt and sugar food.
+ Exercise regularly
+ Avoid smoking
+ Avoid strong sunlight or wear sunglasses

When severe scarring at the macula has already occurred, vision is unlikely to recover. Hence, early detection of AMD means a greater likelihood of improving vision or slowing the deterioration. If you develop blurring of central vision, have your eyes checked by an eye-care professional as soon as possible. Tests may be required to diagnose and assess your condition to determine the treatment option.

Nevertheless, there are ways to cope with and make use of the remaining sight such as:
+ Reading books with larger print
+ Ensuring sufficient lighting for activities
+ Not driving at night or in heavy traffic
+ Removing obstacles in the home such as rugs or other tripping hazards

In early and intermediate stages, dry AMD does not result in vision loss and can be can be treated with high-dose formulations of antioxidants (namely Vitamin A, C and E) and zinc which may delay and possibly prevent AMD from progressing to a more advanced stage, in which total vision loss occurs.
Other supplements to include: Lutein + zeaxanthin, marine oil.

4. DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

This is the most common diabetes-related eye disease especially for chronic patients. It is caused by rise in blood sugar levels for prolonged period of time, blocking the tiny blood vessels which nourish the retina. Abnormal blood vessels growing over the retina and optic nerve are fragile and any leakage can cause retinal hemorrhage or develop into glaucoma with the rising pressure build-up.

Patients may also experience blurring of vision and floaters or black spots. 

What to do?

Diabetic patients have to control their blood sugar levels and blood pressure tightly to avoid this problem. Laser therapy is recommended to burn off the abnormal blood vessels and dead parts of the retina to prevent further damage to the eye.

Leading a healthy lifestyle can prevent the above diseases or mitigate their negative impacts:


+ Avoid the harmful effect of ultraviolet rays emitting from the sun.
+ Many eye specialists note that most diabetic patients who consume high amounts of dairy products and refined white sugar are prone to cataracts. Also avoid saturated fats, and any fats or oils that have been subjected to heat.


5.  FLOATERS


Floaters are small moving spots that appear in your field of vision, especially noticeable looking at something bright, like a white paper or a blue sky. Do seek immediate medical attention if you notice a sudden increase in the number of floaters or accompanied by flashes of light or a loss of side vision.

Without immediate treatment, you can have permanent vision loss. These symptoms may be caused by:

• Retinal detachment       
• Retinal tear
• Bleeding within the eye

They are caused by small flecks of a protein called collagen which filled the back compartment as coated by a gel-like substance called vitreous humor. With increasing age, the vitreous and its millions of fine collagen fibers shrink and become shred-like. Shreds can accumulate in the vitreous and float freely in the less dense vitreous gel.


Though these changes can happen at any age, high occurrence is between ages 50 and 75, especially in people who are very myopic or have had cataract surgery.


Serious eye disorders associated with eye floaters include:

• Retinal detachment
• Retinal tear
• Vitreous hemorrhage (bleeding)
• Vitreous and retinal inflammation caused by viral infections, fungal infections, or auto-immune inflammation
• Eye tumors

NUTRITIONAL PREVENTION

Whilst not every one of the above problems is completely understood, each of them is at least partially affected by nutrition. Proper consumption of nutrients can help to control or alleviate the symptoms of these common conditions and thus bolster eye health.

The damage from free radicals derived from exposure to ultraviolet light, air, water and food contamination, or even during normal body metabolism can be extensive in the long run due to continual ravaging on our cells. Hence, antioxidants are so important to scavenge these free radicals and protect the cell integrity.


Potent antioxidants (below) help to neutralize free radicals and thus delay retina damage or other minor conditions like cataract.

— Vitamin A: Even a moderate deficiency in vitamin A intake can cause night blindness, which manifests as a difficulty perceiving details in low light conditions eg. night driving. Greater deficiencies cause greater visual defects. As a potent antioxidant, it plays an active role in preventing age-related eye diseases like cataracts, dry eyes and macular degeneration. A good source is egg yolk.

— Vitamin C: Studies showed it may play a role in screening out damaging UV rays and delaying the development of macular degeneration and glaucoma. By protecting the integrity of blood vessels feeding the eyes with nutrients, it can reduce the risk of getting cataracts.

— Vitamin E: It maintains the health of the eyes’ mucous membranes with lubrication like the eye drops. When eyes dry out, they begin to suffer surface damage. It serves as good protection to the retina and prevents age-related macular degeneration.

— Flavonoids: Bilberry extracts contain 15 different versions of flavonoids that can improve night version and help to clear the optic nerves. Thus, they reduce or reverse the effects of macular degeneration. Other flavonoid-rich berries include blueberries, blackberries and cherries.

— Carotenoids: Lutein and zeaxanthin are two well-known antioxidants which cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained from food. Both found abundantly in green leafy vegetables, especially broccoli, kale, mustard greens and spinach, and thus increased consumption can protect the cells in the eyes from free radical damage. A mixture of two or more carotenoids are more effective than any one alone at the same total concentration. Though lutein is found abundantly in certain fruits and vegetables (eg carrot), lutein in eggs is more absorbable in the body.

Studies showed that they may reduce dangerous blue sun-ray intensity by up to 90%. It is one of the secret weapons plants use to protect themselves from the sun. In fact, the more you take, the thicker the layer of antioxidants in the macula and the retina. The reduction in cumulative oxidative damage thus offers more protection for normal vision and improves the overall quality of long-distance and short-distance vision. You can try out for minor vision problems like astigmatism, presbyopia, pseudo-myopia, highly shortsightedness, blurred vision, eye strain, dryness, cataracts and floaters. Long application can address major vision problems relating to myopia, glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration. Hence, they are vital for macula, retina and lens health.

Who needs most?

- Spending long hours watching TV, playing computer games, working on computer, reading, driving etc
- Wearing contact lens, high myopia or underwent myopia laser surgery
- Engaging in outdoor activities, often exposed to UV light
- Presbyopia, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration
- Poor night vision or suffering from night blindness
- Age 40 and above

– Omega 3: Derived from fish oil, it helps to promote normal visual development given the high concentration of DHA which is the main component of the retina. In addition, it acts as anti-inflammatory agent which can effectively inhibit eye inflammation and reduce infectious disease. It is also known to fight macular degeneration and help to reduce dry eye problem.
 

Conclusion

Mild eye disorders like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, presbyopia and dry eyes can be taken care of by taking proper care of our eyes. However, serious eye-deficiencies like glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration can lead to vision loss or total blindness.

Blindness is one of life’s greatest tragedies. The buildup of suffering, anguish and pain living in darkness is nightmarish for the rest of one’s life with much inconveniences, the loss of independence and self-esteem. Arrest it early before it turns devastating!

Source: Prescription to Natural Healing

VIVA corner

Vivashield is packed with 4 powerful antioxidants Vitamin A, C, E and selenium to create a stronger impact in reducing the levels of peroxides in the blood vessels in the eyes to achieve higher visual health effect.

VIVA Omega 3 has high concentration of DHA, a main component in the retina to build a better protective membrane in the eye cells and can help to lower pressure build-up.


VIVA Gingko Biloda can be used to improve retinopathy in the eyes and normalise blood glucose for diabetic condition. It can help to relieve pressure for glaucoma treatment too.

VIVA Guocoguard can lower the risk for diabetes and related eye disorders as its chromium content can control blood glucose level.


VIVA OQ care has 2 key ingredients  +Lutein and Zeaxanthin (belong to the carotene family) that the body cannot synthesis and must be obtained from food source. They are known to be effective in reducing risk of macular degeneration.
Marigold is found to contain the highest lutein content among all plants given its yellow color that corresponds with that of the macula. Also contains a host of antioxidants including beta-carotene and Vitamin A, C, E, Riboflavin (B2), selenium, bilberry, lycii fructus and lemon bioflavonoids to help in neutralizing free radicals. Bilberry is rich in anthocyanins that have shown to protect optic nerves in the eyes and prevent AMD. This is a good nutritional supplement if you are not having much fresh green vegetables. Taken twice daily 2 capsules should see improvement for eye degeneration after 6-8 weeks.  Macular degeneration is trickier and requires more than 3-6 months.