Floating On By

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Floating On By

Thu, 28 Jul 2005 06:59:00 -0400

 

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Floating On By

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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July 28, 2005

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

When your eyes follow these words across the computer screen, are

there threadlike elements in your field of vision that tag along,

sliding back and forth with the movement of your eyes?

 

Those are known as floaters, and an HSI member named Hank has this

question about them: " When will there be an e-Alert on Floaters in the

eyes and what can be done to protect sight? "

 

The answer to " When? " is: You're reading it right now. And to start

things off, I've got good new and bad news about floaters...and some

additional good news. The good news: Most floaters develop as a

natural part of aging. The bad news: There's no treatment for them.

But the additional good news is: Eventually they'll go away (or at

least they'll be minimized).

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Hidden in the shadows

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The vitreous is a gel-like material inside the eyeball that helps

maintain the spherical shape of the eye. As we age, the vitreous

begins to shrink slightly, sometimes causing small strands to thicken

into spots or threadlike webs that cast faint shadows on the retina.

Floaters may appear to be debris on the surface of the eye, but

they're actually shadows of debris inside the eye.

 

The development of floaters can also be prompted by diabetes, cataract

operations, laser surgery or an injury to the eye. In most cases,

floaters will eventually settle to the bottom of the eye where they're

less likely to cast shadows on the field of vision. In other words,

floaters take care of themselves.

 

More troubling is when a new batch of floaters suddenly appears,

accompanied by flashes of light or a slight loss of peripheral vision.

These are signals of a possible retinal detachment or diabetic

retinopathy, both of which are very serious problems that should be

addressed immediately. If not treated quickly, these conditions can

lead to permanent impairment and even blindness.

 

Although floaters may be annoying, they don't present a serious risk

to vision health. But in rare cases they may be thick or clustered

enough to interfere with eyesight. In advanced cases like this, a

surgical procedure called vitrectomy is an option. This procedure is

generally not recommended because it risks damage to the retina.

 

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Antioxidant lineup

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Hank also had a question about how to protect eyesight; a topic we've

addressed often in the e-Alert and HSI Members Alert.

 

In the e-Alert " Feast Your Eyes " (9/5/02), I told you about a National

Eye Institute (NEI) study on the prevention of age-related macular

degeneration (AMD); a common disorder of the retina. In this

eight-year study that involved more than 3,500 subjects over the age

of 55, researchers found that when administered in the early stage of

AMD, certain supplements significantly inhibited the total amount of

vision loss that would normally be caused by the condition.

 

The research team recommended that anyone at risk of developing AMD

should consider taking these supplements daily, in the same amounts

used in the study:

 

* Vitamin C - 500 mg

* Vitamin E - 400 IU

* Beta-carotene - 15 mg

* Zinc (as zinc oxide) - 80 mg

* Copper (as cupric oxide) - 2 mg

 

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Chasing the clouds away

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Cataracts are another major concern. According to the NEI, nearly half

of all Americans will develop a significant cataract after the age of 75.

 

In the e-Alert " 76 Trombones " (8/7/03) I looked at research from Tufts

University that examined the effects of specific nutrients in

preventing the oxidation damage that contributes to the formation of

cataracts. The Tufts team examined 13 years of nutrition and medical

data collected from nearly 500 women over the age of 50.

 

Researchers found that women with the lowest amount of lens-clouding

opacification, also had the highest intake of these antioxidant

nutrients: lutein, zeaxanthin, folate, beta carotene, riboflavin and

vitamins C and E. Women who had taken daily vitamin C supplements for

more than a decade were 64 percent less likely to show signs of the

opacification that leads to cataracts than the women who took no

vitamin C supplements at all.

 

Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoids that are key components of a

phytochemical called xanthophylls. Good food sources of xanthophylls

include corn, kiwi, red seedless grapes, orange-colored peppers,

spinach, celery, Brussels sprouts, scallions, broccoli, and squash.

 

 

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....and another thing

 

" Check THIS out. "

 

That's how HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., started off an alarming

e-mail he sent me last week. Here are some statistics he was writing

to share:

 

" How about if 5 percent of the American public having 'metabolic

syndrome'? That includes hypertension, insulin resistance, obesity,

high triglycerides, and bad cholesterol levels.

 

" How 'bout if 45 percent of Americans had at least 2 of those findings?

 

" Not impressed?

 

" How about if the above statistics were true for Americans 7-9 YEARS OLD?!

 

" Seems pretty eye-popping to me. Found it in Family Practice news

(July 1, 2005). I knew we were headed downhill, but this is really

scary, and supports my statistics in 'Keep Your Ticker Ticking' that

this country is nowhere near as healthy as some like to tell us! "

 

I don't mind a bit that Dr. Spreen has plugged his excellent " Ticker "

report, which is one of the most popular titles published by HSI. You

can use this link to find out more details about the report:

http://www1.youreletters.com/t/163609/2413923/777884/0/

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

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Sources:

 

" Facts About Floaters " National Eye Institute, October 2004, nei.nih.gov

" Eye Floaters and Spots " Judith Lee and Gretchyn Bailey, All About

Vision, February 2005, allaboutvision.com

 

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