BETTER  EYESIGHT  AFTER   SIXTY

Norman Ford is not an expert on eye health. Instead he put this report together based on a concensus of recent advisories on eye health from sources such as the National Eye Institute, the Age Related Eye Diseases Study, the Physicians' Health Study, the Human Nutrition Research Center at Tufts University, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and leading university medical research centers specializing in vision.

The concept of living a long, healthy life can be a turn-off for many Americans. That's because they believe that worsening eyesight is an inevitable part of the aging process. Many of us, for example, can recall an elderly relative who lost his or her sight to a cataract or macular degeneration in their late 70s or 80s. And, we reason, living to be 100 won't be much fun if we can't see well enough to enjoy it.

Well, Cataracts still cloud and dim the eyesight of millions of Americans over 65, and Macular Degeneration is still the main cause of vision loss in older people.

But all this doesn't have to be true any longer! If your vision is being impaired by a Cataract, for example, you are way out of touch with the times.

Through revolutionary developments in the prevention and treatment of age-related vision problems, most Americans can now look forward to far better vision in their later years than was the case just 10 or 15 years ago.

First, in recent years we've made giant steps in learning how to prevent--or at least slow the growth--of such common eyesight problems as Cataract, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy or Macular Degeneration--among the main causes of vision loss in older Americans.

And second, if we do develop these, or similar vision problems, most can now be treated successfully through hi-tech laser treatments or micro eye surgery. Nowadays, for example, a painless ten-minute operation, while you're wide- awake, can not only get rid of most cataracts but it may also restore your eyesight to what it was when you were half your present age.

So it's important to realise there are two distinct approaches to achieving better eyesight in the later years.

The Prevention Approach To Better Eyesight-

The PREVENTION Approach: is based on preventing eye problems from occuring through lifestyle and dietary steps we can do for ourselves. These steps will NOT CURE or improve eye ailments or diseases once they have appeared. But in cases where there is no immediate need for medical treatment, the Prevention Approach may well slow the growth of eye ailments such as Cataracts and delay the need for eventual medical treatment.

Scroll lower down this page to find a complete report on  Preventing Eye Diseases and Problems The Natural Way.

The Treatment Approach To Better Eyesight

The TREATMENT Approach is based on placing your vision care in the hands of an opthalmologist (an M.D. with special training in eye care and surgery) and thus availing yourself of the hi-tech laser and eye surgery techniques now available. Even if you have no symptoms or signs of vision problems, it's a good idea to have your eyes checked by an opthalmologist, including eye dilation, every second year after age 65.

Whether you're practicing the Prevention or the Treatment Approach, or both, you're likely to fare better if you familiarize yourself first with the basics of eye health and eye function. So here below are links to several of the most informative websites about senior eye health and the most effective treatments. These websites also cover topics like near- and far-sightedness and astigmatism.

Although some are published to promote regional eye clinics, all are written by professionals and cover just about everything you'll want to know about the Treatment Approach.

Helpful Websites About Modern Treatments For Vision Problems

• The All About Vision Website   (www.allaboutvision.com). Covers the entire field of eye ailments and treatments.

• The Aging Eye Website   (www.agingeye.net) Loads of info about eye ailments and treatments with special focus on people over 65.

• Grendahl Eye Associates Information on Cataract Surgery www.grendahl.com/cataractsurgery/index.html)    Covers every aspect of Cataract surgery including a detailed appraisal of the risks (which are normally very few).  Also covers all other eye problems.

• .First Hand Report on Cataract Operation  (www.suddenlysenior.com/cataract.html) Author Frank Kaiser of Suddenly Senior Website gives a first-hand account of exactly what having Cataract surgery is like.. Guaranteed to dispel any fears you may have about facing eye surgery!

• Cole Eye Institute Report on Diabetic Retinopathy   (www.clevelandclinic.org/eye/patient_info/diabetic.asp?source=overture). Or just type "Diabetic Retinopathy" into your browser's Search field and browse through listings for Cole Eye Institute Report on Diabetic Retinopathy.

• Glaucoma Research Foundation   (www.glaucoma.org). This comprehensive website covers the entire field of glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that cause vision loss by damaging the optic nerve.

PREVENTING EYE DISEASES AND PROBLEMS THE NATURAL WAY

Despite a revolution in hi-tech eye surgery and treatment, many eye ailments and diseases are still easier to prevent than cure. A concensus of expert opinion recently indicated that roughly 66 percent of all eye problems can be prevented, or postponed for years, by a healthful diet and exercise program.

But preventing eye problems is essentially a long-term process and the sooner you begin, the better. For vision changes slowly over the years. And it can take 10 oe 20 years before the effects of prevention begin to show up in benefits to your eyes.

Yet it's seldom too late to begin. That's because defending the health of your eyes is just one part of defending the health of your entire body-mind. The same combination of healthy foods and regular exercise that prevents disease in your eyes also prevents a whole catalog of serious diseases in your body and mind.

The reason? Most diseases of both the eyes and the body-mind are caused, at least in part, by electrically-charged rogue molecules called Free Radicals that raise havoc with all our body cells from our heart and lungs to our arteries and our eyes.

Free Radicals are formed when certain fats in the diet are oxidized by exposure to air or to heat. It is this oxidation process that creates cataracts (clouding and dimming of vision through the lens of the eye). Further damage to our eye lenses arises from Free Radicals produced by intense exposure to sunlight.

You can read all about Free Radicals and how they damage the nucleus of our cells by going to our Home Page Menu and clicking on the report " How To Age-Proof Your Body Naturally." And to prevent further damage to your eyes, I recommend that you read this report ASAP--as soon as possible! That's because "How To Age-Proof Your Body Naturally" is actually a complete introduction to our  Number One Healthy Lifestyle Plan--a unique way of living and eating that destroys most Free Radicals in our bodies--and especially those in our eyes--by neutralizing them with exercise and a diet loaded with Anti-Oxidants

Anti-Oxidants are found primarily in foods that grow on plants, namely fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes. And it's these foods, along with fish, that are the most powerful defenders of eye health.

Two-Step Plan To Maximize Eye Health

O.K then! To maximize eye health and to help prevent future eye problems and disease:

STEP ONE is to adopt our Live To Be 90 Lifestyle Plan   and stay with it for life..

STEP TWO is to modify the Live To Be 90 Lifestyle Plan slightly to emphasize eye health.

Preventing Eye Problems By Staying Fit

Diabetic Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes caused by changes in the blood vessels of the eye. Yet it can be easily prevented by taking care not to develop Type II Diabetes in the first place. (Or if you have recently developed Type II Diabetes, you can probably reverse it before Retinopathy occurs. ) You'll find full details by clicking on our report " Lose Weight Faster and Beat Diabetes With A New, Healthier Lo-Carb Diet," on our Home Page Menu. Remember, we're talking here about preventing or reversing Type II Diabetes, not reversing Diabetic Retinopathy. However, Diabetic Retinopathy can be improved with treatment.

According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, there is some evidence that regular exercise can reduce eye pressure in Glaucoma patients. Exercise may also have a positive effect on other Glaucoma risk factors like Diabetes and High Blood Pressure.

In a recent study, patients with Glaucoma who worked out regularly by riding stationary bikes for 40 minutes 4 times a week, reduced their eye pressure by an average of 20 percent over a 3 months period. Clear improvements in eye pressure and physical fitness were apparent at the end of 3 months. From then on, these benefits were maintained by continuing to cycle 3 times per week. But if exercise waa stopped for more than two weeks, the reduction in eye pressure was lost.

A similar study involving Glaucoma patients who walked briskly for 40 minutes 4 times a week was able to lower their eye pressure enough to eliminate the need for beta-blocker medication. The study authors concluded that regular exercise may help reduce visual loss from Glaucoma but not all forms of Glaucoma responded to exercise.

People with Type II Diabetes are often overweight or obese. But with or without Diabetes, being overweight or obese is a primary risk factor for Macular Degeneration. In several studies, exercise has appeared to slow the progress of Macular Degeneration.

For example, the Physicians' Health Study of 21,000 male doctors found that obese men had twice the risk of developing Macular Degeneration as men with a healthy BMI (Body Mass Index). This and several other studies concluded that being overweight--especially around the waist--appears to accelerate Macular Degeneration. And being overweight or obese, speeds up progression from early or intermediate Macular Degeneration to the advanced state.

Again, people with Type II Diabetes, or who have large bellies, are apt to get a more hard-to-treat type of cataract that appears on the back of the eye lens, rather than a simpler type of cataract on the front of the lens.

To learn more about the numerous benefits of regular exercise, click on our report "Exercise--The REAL Fountain Of Youth" on our Home Page Menu. By the way, exercises for the eye muscles may help your eyes follow a speeding ball across a tennis court but they are not likely to prevent any form of vision loss. However, several opthalmologists have told me that the exercises won't harm your vision and they may help your performance in sports like tennis. These exercises may also help in relaxing your eye muscles.

Mention of tennis or other outdoor actvities, or even driving, is a reminder to protect your eyes from harmful ultra-violet rays that contribute to the growth of cataracts.  If you wear clear prescription glasses, you can protect your eyes with an inexpensive pair of plain, wrap-around sunglasses worn over your prescription glasses.  And don't forget to shade your eyes by wearing a baseball cap or a hat with a brim.

Fish And Foods That Grow On Plants May Help Protect Eye Health

Foods that DON'T appear to help prevent eye disease include most meat and poultry, dairy products and eggs; cooking oils made from pressed seeds like safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed, and soybean oils; bread or baked goods made all or partly with white flour; just about everything that includes sugar or high fructose corn syrup; and bread or baked goods that contains Trans-Fatty Acids (AKA Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils) and the list includes most cakes, hot cakes, pies, cookies etc.,--and often home-made versions also. All fried foods, especially potato chips, as well as margarine and shortening are prolific producers of Free Radicals.

Most of these foods have also been implicated as increasing the risk of Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity and similar life-shortening diseases. To learn more about good and bad fats, click on "A Primer on Fats! Good Fats! Bad Fats!" on our Home Page Menu.

Foods That Appear To Benefit Eye Health

LUTEIN and ZEAXANTHIN are twin phyto-chemicals that together form the pigment that gives the green color to vegetables and fruit. Usually, they are just called Lutein but the Zeaxanthin is invariably there. Like most plant pigments, they are powerful anti-oxidents and play a key role in preventing several common types of Cancer.

However, Lutein's forte is preventing and delaying Cataract formation and growth. In 3 large, recent studies, people who consumed the most Lutein-rich foods, had an overall risk of Cataract 35 percent lower than those who ate the least Lutein. In all 3 studies, those with the lowest risk for Cataract surgery consumed about 6 mgs of Lutein daily, an amount readily supplied by the average diet.

In one study, men who ate broccoli or raw spinach two or more times a week had 25 percent less need for Cataract surgery than men who ate these veggies fewer than two times a month. And men who ate cooked spinach twice or more weekly reduced their need for Cataract surgery by 50 percent.

BUT to give yourself this protection against Cataracts, you must eat foods rich in Lutein. By way of example, half a cup of each of the following green veggies yields the indicated Lutein content in mgs. Kale 12 mgs, Spinach 10.2, Swiss chard 9.5, Collard greens 7.25, Peas 2, Brocoli 1.25 and Brussel sprouts, Zucchini and Romaine lettuce (one full cup) each yielded just one mg of Lutein. Since greens yield about 3 times as much Lutein when cooked as when eaten raw, all foods except lettuce were cooked before testing.

Obviously, cooked Kale, Spinach, Swiss chard and Collard greens are the best sources of Lutein.

Not only does Lutein defend the eyes against Cataracts but also against Macular Degeneration. This is because Lutein is deposited in the retina and becomes concentrated in cells in front of the Macula (roughly the centre of the Retina). In this way, it reduces the potential for Free Radical damage to the Macula. It may also screen out harmful ultra-violet rays from reaching the macula.

Lutein is also available in supplements but most people find it cheaper to obtain their Lutein by eating green leafy veggies. However, people who take a multi-vitamin per day also have a lower risk for Cataract but only after taking the multi for 5 years or more. Experts believe that the protection comes from the Vitamin C in the multis. Other tests have shown that equal or better protection can be had by taking 300 mgs of Vitamin C per day.

But taking more than that does not increase protection against Cataracts because an intake of 200-300 mgs of Vitamin C per day literally saturates the human eye.

Very few really watertight studies have been made of the effect of supplements on the eye which is one reason in favor of getting your vitamins and minerals from foods. For instance, the AREDS (Age Related Eye Disease Study) which followed 4,600 people for 7 years found that a daily combination dose of beta-carotene 15 mgs, Vitamin C 500 mgs, and Vitamin E 400 I. U., did indeed slow the growth of Macular Degeneration. But so did a daily dose of 80 mgs of Zinc.

When both the AREDS formula and the Zinc were taken together, they worked synergistically to provide even better protection. But only for people who were at high risk for advanced Macular Degeneration when the study began. Statistics show that about 8 million Americans are currently at high risk for advanced Macular Degeneration.

In other studies, beta-carotene supplements have increased the risk of developing lung cancer. And incidentally, if you plan to take the AREDS Formula, be sure to take Zinc Oxide and not the more common Zinc gluconate sold in supermarkets and which can lead to undesirably high Zinc levels in the blood. Zinc has also shown considerable promise for protecting the retina because the cells which underlie and nourish the retina have the highest concentration of Zinc found anywhere in the body except the prostate gland. Zinc is also a nutritional requirement of key enzymes essential to eye function.

But don't go overboard on Zinc without your opthalmologist's approval.. 80 mgs per day is quite a high dosage and could increase risk of prostate enlargement. That amount of Zinc could also intefere with statins or similar drugs and may lead to urinary tract infection.

Right about now (12-15-04) the National Eye Institute is readying a large trial on Lutein's effectiveness in reducing risk of eye ailments. The trial will also test DHA, one of the two Omega-3 type lipids found in fish oils. DHA has already been found to support the nutrient health of rods and cones in the retina and is a key nutrient in brain nutrition.

The role of DHA in preventing Macular Degeneration has been demonstrated by several large studies. The AREDS study found that people who ate fish twice or more often per week had 50 percent less risk of developing Macular Degeneration than people who ate no fish at all.

An even larger Harvard study of 29,000 men and 42,000 women showed that, over an 11-year period, those who ate fish 1-4 times per week had an almost 25 percent lower risk of developing Macular Degeneration than people who ate fish 3 times a month or less.

The fish used in most tests was canned tuna, one of the more oily types of fish. You can read more about DHA in our report "A Primer on Fat! Good Fats! Bad Fats!" listed on our Home Page Menu. Sardines packed in water, olive oil or tomato sauce, and wild salmon (all Alaska salmon are wild) are also rich in Omega-3 fish oils, one of which is DHA.

The same Harvard study just mentioned also found that people who ate nuts at least once weekly had 40 percent less risk of developing Macular Degeneration. Hulled sunflower seeds also have similar nutrients to nuts. You can make a great snack by mixing sunflower seeds with nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts (filberts), cashews and almonds together with a sprinkling of raisins.

Nearly all fruits and vegetables are rich in anti-oxidents. (In fact, there are no anti-oxidents in foods of animal origin, nor fiber.) Among fruits likely to support eye health are bilberries, blueberries and just about all other types of berries.

Most fruits and vegetables are also good sources of Vitamin C, especially collard greens, brussel sprouts, broccoli, all citrus, and cauliflower, cantalupe and kiwis. Fruit juices are also good sources. But many nutritionists recommend eating the fruits rather than drinking their juices, which may send blood sugar levels soaring.

Finally, a few tips to help keep your eyes healthy. Never smoke! Eat plenty of green leafy and other vegetables (except white potatoes) plus fruits and focus on those with deep, rich colors. Snack on fruits, nuts and seeds. Strictly avoid all fried foods and any foods containing Trans-Fatty Acids (Partially- Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils). Stay away from refined carbohydrates like white flour and sugar and the breads, cakes, pies, etc., made with these ingredients. Replace meat, poultry and eggs with fish and replace dairy products , including ice cream, with soy products. Spurn all cooking oils except olive, canola and flaxseed oil. Take plenty of exercise and keep your weight down to normal. And it doesn't hurt to take a daily multi.

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