Macular Degeneration

Everyone with macular degeneration is going to continue losing vision, and there is no effective treatment to avoid this.

You do not have to lose your vision with macular degeneration. There are steps you can take to stabilize and even possibly improve your vision.

Macular Degeneration (ARMD-Aged Related Macular Degeneration) is the slow deterioration of the cells in the macula ... more ...

• Straight lines look wavy
• Distinct shapes are blurry
• Colors look dim
• Words appear blurred or difficult to read
• Dark or blank areas block the center of your vision
• There appears to be a fog in the center of your vision

• Free radicals damage from ultraviolet and blue light from sunlight passing through the crystalline lens. Free radicals are also natural byproducts of metabolism. These highly reactive chemicals cause oxidation, and can destabilize healthy cells in the back of the eyes. Free radical damage is accelerated by smoking, chronic fatigue and compromised immune systems.
• Nutritional Deficiencies and Poor Digestion - Often sufferers of macular degeneration are deficient in some or many of the important nutrients including essential fatty acids, lutein, zeaxanthin, taurine, antioxidants, bioflavenoids, zinc, selenium, vitamin B-complex.
• Heredity

• Women
• Smokers - increase their risk by 200-300 percent
• Adult diabetics
• People with uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Those lacking sufficient ability to absorb nutrients through their digestive tracts
• Those with a family history of macular degeneration

See these Essential Nutrients for Macular Degeneration

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. Below are some recommendations:

• daily juicing of vegetables and fruits (preferably organic). Our macular degeneration recipe is some combination of the following: ginger, garlic, leeks, parsley, beets, cabbage, carrots, celery, spinach, kale, collard greens, apples, grapes, raspberries, lemon, chlorophyll, wheat grasses – (not too much fruit). More on juicing.
• 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, and especially margarines).
• 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). Eating greater amounts of saturated fat and cholesterol appear to increase the risk of AMD.
• 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 Dr. Grossman's Advaced Eye & Vision Support Formula, a whole food product developed expressly for vision care.
• 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.
• 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, walks in the woods or prayer on a daily basis.