Tag Archive for: vision

I Can See Clearly Now

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I left you with some questions I had to ponder and have gotten a couple more. Then I’ll leave you with the answer I posed to my ocular surgeon.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is not just a single ocular disease; there are several types. Some are related to how well the eyes drain fluid; some drain slowly while others seem to get plugged. The key to limiting damage is to get the pressure down by draining excess fluid. While there are still more types, the most important thing is to know your family history. There’s genetic testing available, but it’s not always predictive of what will happen to an individual, because some forms of glaucoma are caused by a combination of genetic factors.

Regular ocular pressure tests are the best way to find out whether the pressure in the eye is normal or not. If I had not gone in to get new glasses, I would not have gotten a diagnosis until later and may have lost even more vision.

Cataracts

There’s really nothing you can do to prevent cataracts because it’s partially a function of aging. However, you can protect your eyes by wearing UV protection sunglasses to reduce the impact of sunlight; it’s always better the earlier you start, so keep that in mind with the kids and grandkids. Other steps we can take are to quit smoking and keep blood sugar under control.

Two questions I’ve gotten are about the types of lenses and the cost. I got the simplest mono-focal intraocular lenses because my distant vision was my primary concern. The glaucoma created the need for reading glasses to balance both eyes.

If you’ve always worn corrective lenses, those issues can be addressed depending on the type of lenses. The person who knows that best would be your ophthalmologist. The cost will vary depending on what you want the lens to do. It also depends on the type of health insurance coverage you have. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has a Q&A on lenses at the link below. It’s obvious to me that eyecare is a good investment because it affects your quality of life and productivity.

The Bottom Line

I asked my surgeon the question about how to prevent cataracts and glaucoma. He thought about it and said prevention can be tenuous, so the best thing to do to keep your vision as long as you can is to get regular eye exams every year; that will protect your vision as well as keeping your glasses up to date to reduce eye strain. That seems like sound advice to me. Just another step to improve our healthspan.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/best-artificial-lens-implant-iol-cataract-surgery

My Eyes!

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No, it’s not like when Phoebe saw Monica and Chandler kissing on Friends—but it is rather dramatic.

Let me recap my vision story. My dad died at 41, so I have no info from him or his family. My grandmother had cataracts removed when she was about 70. It led to a decline in her health; she never could get used to the glasses with thick lenses that looked like the bottom of Coke bottles. Remember, lens replacement as we have today didn’t become common until the mid-1980s. My mother had glaucoma, which was the genetic factor in my development of glaucoma.

I still remember the exact moment I discovered I needed reading glasses. I had been given a badge to enter campus during an international sport competition, and I couldn’t read the fine print on the badge. My real journey began when I finally had an eye exam about 10 years ago. The ophthalmologist tested me for glaucoma and the numbers were high—over 30 in each eye, and it should be below 8. Prescription eye drops lowered the pressure, but they can’t repair the damage I have in my right eye. Neither the cataract surgery nor the drains can repair it. I consider myself lucky it wasn’t more severe.

As for my vision about a month after the first replacement? I would say it’s excellent—over 18 inches away. I typed this without glasses at all in a 12-point font. I still need glasses for reading to help the eye with the lost vision, but that seems relatively easy.

The questions I have are: what could I have done to prevent either condition? And what should you and I do in the future? I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Vision Health: Never Too Young

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Continuing with what I asked Dr. Laura Kenyon during my interview with her, the question is still “What are the mistakes people make related to retaining their vision?” Here are the rest of her answers as well as a program every parent needs to know about.

Eye Protection

The third mistake we make is not wearing eye protection when we should. Obviously you’ll want safety glasses if you’re working with a chainsaw. When you’re working with liquids such as paint, oil, and gasoline, protecting your eyes is critical then as well.

But let’s move beyond the obvious: wear safety glasses anytime you’re working in the yard. True, when you’re mowing the lawn or using the weed-whacker, eye protection makes a lot of sense. But when you bend over to pull weeds or prune trees or bushes, you might not focus on that tiny little branch that’s sticking out from the rosebush. That kind of stab or scratch can severely damage the eye.

The other is when you’re cooking. When you’re cutting foods such as onions and hot peppers, a squirt into your eye can certainly make your life miserable for a long time, even though probably not causing permanent damage. And you’ve probably heard that you shouldn’t cook bacon naked. I can tell you that you shouldn’t be without eye protection then as well. I can remember putting a piece of fish into a fryer, and in a perfect splatter, it came right from the tail end of that fish directly into my right eye. You’ll find out whether you can dance or not when that happens to you! So be sure to wear eye protection even for tasks that do not seem as obviously dangerous.

Eat Vegetables and Fruit

I was a little surprised that Dr. Kenyon said then another mistake that we all make in relation to our eyes is that we don’t eat enough vegetables with carotenoids in them such as lutein, alpha-carotene, zeaxanthin, and, of course, you probably know beta-carotene already. Those are all critical to eye health and we need some every day.

One little piece that I contributed was to mention that chopped or cooked vegetables with carotenoids will release more carotenoids than if you eat them raw. So those baby carrots (that we know really aren’t baby carrots at all), would serve you better if they were cooked and put in soup.

Never Too Young: InfantSEE™

When I said that it’s never too early to start with regular checkups, I meant it: if you’ve got a baby, it’s time to start. The InfantSEE program was started in 2005 with the support of former President Jimmy Carter. He had a grandson who was diagnosed with amblyopia, a condition that could have been easily treated had they been aware of it. The result of his effort, as well as the American Optometric Association efforts, has resulted in a free program for children six to twelve months old. The examination can identify conditions such as astigmatism, which in a single eye, can result in what we typically call lazy eye—easy to treat if you know the child has it at an early age but very difficult to treat later. You can search for a participating optometrist on the home page of InfantSEE; let’s all help spread the word to new parents.

The Bottom Line

There you have it, right from the optometrist’s mouth: the biggest mistakes we make when taking care of our eyes. Use this info to put together a list of actions you should take to keep your eyes healthy throughout your life.

If you live in the Grand Rapids area, Dr. Kenyon and her practice is taking new patients. The contact information is below (2). Also, for all Members and Insiders, I’ll be posting parts of the interview in the members section after it plays in Grand Rapids.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. www.infantsee.org
2. West Michigan Eyecare Associates. https://wmeyecare.com 616-949-8500.

Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

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When I interviewed our optometrist, Dr. Laura Kenyon, for my Sunday radio show here in Grand Rapids called Straight Talk on Health (you can listen live via the Internet by going to https://www.wgvunews.org/programs/straight-talk-health), I learned a lot about how to take care of your eyes. In this week’s Memos, I want to cover the things that you should do for good eye health, regardless of your current age. As you’ll find out, it’s never too early to start.

I asked Dr. Kenyon what were the biggest mistakes people make when caring for their eyes. Her answer rang a bell for me: most people believe they should see an eye doctor only when they need glasses, so they don’t get regular eye exams. That’s a mistake; whether they need glasses or not, very subtle changes that occur within the eye may not have been noticed because it hasn’t affected their vision yet. For example, I never would have known I had glaucoma if I hadn’t needed new glasses. Now, five or six years later, the pressure in my eyes is under control and I haven’t lost vision.

The most important rule is to get regular eye exams. How often? A motto she used says it all: To see clearly, check yearly. I think that’s a good one to adopt.

The second eye health mistake we make is not wearing sunglasses. The sun’s rays can damage the lenses of the eye even without bright sunshine, so if you’re going outdoors put on sunglasses even in cloudy weather.

I’ll finish the list on Saturday. In the meantime, is it time for you to schedule your eye exam? Get to it.

Also, tomorrow is the next Insider Conference Call. Essential amino acids and fasting before starting to change your diet are on the agenda, along with answering Insider questions. Isn’t it time you became an Insider? Join today and you can be a part of tomorrow’s call.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

New Research Yields One More Factor

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The last recommendation for you in living every day you’re alive involves keeping the body working its best through regular maintenance. That means seeing your healthcare professionals on schedule. Here are some examples of what that can mean.

Researchers recently published a paper on the impact of a narrow band of ultraviolet light on the microbiome. If people were deficient in vitamin D, their microbiome was not as healthy as those who had normal vitamin D levels. The UV light did not improve the microbiome of those who had normal vitamin D levels, only those who did not. That’s why you need to get your bloodwork done regularly, including getting your vitamin D levels checked. Whether by sun or supplement, vitamin D is critical to your microbiome and many other aspects of your health.

A couple of years ago my glasses were broken and I needed a new prescription, so I finally had my eyes examined. It had been at least five years since my last exam. Turns out I have glaucoma; by using a couple of drops a day, I haven’t lost any vision. But if I hadn’t had my eyes checked, who knows what could have happened?

One more. It seemed like I kept getting shorter and shorter every time I had a checkup, so I had a bone density test done. Turns out I have osteopenia. Long-time runners like me aren’t supposed to get that, but there it is. I changed my supplements and I’ll get checked again this year.

I’ve often talked about the importance of protecting your dental health. Yes, teeth can be replaced, but it’s really expensive as Paula and I know from experience. While a dental checkup may seem like lot of money, it’s worth it to protect not only your teeth, but many other aspects of your health such as heart and digestive health.

Today’s lesson is get your body checked on a regular basis. We don’t ignore our hearts (for the most part) but the ability to see, to hear, to have strong bones, even to chew food is dependent on taking care of those specialty organs on a regular basis.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Front. Microbiol., 24 October 2019 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02410.

Schedule Your Eye Exam

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Things were looking the tiniest bit fuzzy, so I decided it was time to get my eyeglass prescription checked. I seemed to have blurry spots in my right eye at about the level I would normally read, whether paper or computer. I made the appointment; the results weren’t exactly what I was hoping for. Based on the pressure inside my eye, I had glaucoma. I was stunned. Didn’t see that one coming—no pun intended.

I went through a different and very irritating vision test to see how much vision I’d lost. Turns out none with one . . .

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