Cataract Treatment

Everyone eventually develops cataracts.

Cataracts can not only be prevented, but can even be reversed through nutrition, supplementation and lifestyle changes.

Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness around the world. more ...

• Blurry vision, especially in bright light
• Loss of night vision
• Cloudiness on the eye lens
• Requiring more light for reading
• Getting tired when reading
• Difficulty judging distances or steps
• Seeing halos, particularly in sunlight
• Glasses always seem dirty

See our detailed discussion of causes of cataracts.

Also see our detailed discussion of drugs that can cause or worsen cataracts.

Surgery is the most common treatment for removing cataracts. Following are the three major methods ... more ...

Since we consider most eye conditions to be a reflection of the health of the whole body, lifestyle choices and diet can play a major factor in getting and maintaining good vision. See some nutritional recommendations

• Reduce or eliminate drinking caffeine and sodas, avoid aspartame (labeled diet foods)and man made fats (corn oil and safflower oil, trans fats and hydrogenated vegetable oils including canola oil).
• Daily juicing of vegetables and fruits (preferably organic). Our cataract recipe is some combination of the following: raspberries, watermelon, carrots, spinach, celery, radish (not too much fruit). See more information on juicing.
• Eliminate deep fat fried foods, monosodium glutanate (MSG) used as a flavor enhancer which is a potential retinal toxin (Inv Oph 1996; 37: 1618-24), and fat blockers like Olestra which impair the absorption of carotenoids (Argus, August 1996;19:18:July 1996;19:22).
• Limit your alcohol consumption to 1 glass of red wine at night. Alcohol interferes with liver functions, reducing protective glutathione levels (Alcohol 1993;10;469-75).
• Eliminate smoking. Smoking among other things produces cyanide, a retinal toxin.
• Supplement your diet with a good multivitamin such as One Plus Multivitamin (see website for more information) and/or a good Green Drink (see Paleogreens).
• Limit the amount of medications (both prescription and non-prescription as much as possible. Make sure to work closely with your doctor.
• Exercise daily - do at least 20 minutes of aerobic exercise daily. Walking and swimming are two excellent forms of exercise.
• Avoid microwaves. Leakage from microwave ovens are a direct cause of cataracts, so avoid peeking into the oven door window while you cook. In addition, food proteins exposed to microwaves can become toxic to the lens, which is made up mostly of proteins.
• Managing your emotional health is very important in maintaining physical health. Fear (fear of failure, responsibility, of being alone, of death, etc.) is at the root of many of life's problems, and is a major factor in many diseases. Take up the practice of meditation, yoga, tai chi, prayer, etc.

Finally, you can also see a sample chapter on cataracts from Dr.Grossman's book, Natural Eye Care: A Comprehensive Manual for Practitioners of Oriental Medicine