Improving Eye Health with Nutrients

 

Healthy, strong eyesight is vital to our everyday lives, though many of us take extra precautions against eye damage. To help improve eye function, shield against harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays, and minimize the chances of developing degenerative diseases, check out the following nutrients. 

Vitamin A
One of the most common causes of blindness throughout the globe is Vitamin A deficiency. Essential for sustaining photoreceptors, a deficiency of Vitamin A can result in night blindness, dry eyes, or worse, blindness. Vitamin A is found in liver, egg yolks, dairy products, kale, spinach, and carrots.

Lutein and Zeaxanthin
Yellow carotenoid antioxidants, these macular pigments are concentrated in your retina and act as a natural sunblock. They protect your eyes from harmful blue light. Ingesting these nutrients can lower the chances of macular degeneration by as much as 43 percent. Lutein and zeaxanthin can be found in spinach, Swiss chard, kale, parsley, pistachios, green peas, egg yolks, sweet corn, and red grapes. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are essential for optimal eye health. DHA helps to optimize eye function and is crucial for eye development in infants, so a deficiency can impair vision in children. The combination of EPA and DHA can increase tears, thereby reducing dry eyes. They also prevent other eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. These nutrients can be found in oily fish.

Vitamin C
This antioxidant is indispensable for eye health, as the levels of Vitamin C have been found to be higher in the eye than any other bodily fluid. People with cataracts generally have decreased antioxidants; those taking vitamin C supplements are less likely to develop cataracts. Fruits and vegetables, including bell peppers, citrus fruits, grapes, kale, and broccoli are high in vitamin C.  

Zinc
This nutrient is an essential enzyme and is suspected to be involved in the formation of visual pigments in your eye. Those who are night blind might suffer from zinc deficiency. Macular degeneration can be slowed by supplementing zinc, and visual sharpness can also be improved. Zinc can be found in oysters, meat, pumpkin seeds, and peanuts. 

Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to provide personalized and extraordinary care to our patients. Whether your goal is to maintain or improve your natural vision, we are here to help you. Call us at 877-579-0202 to learn more.

Written by the digital marketing team at Creative Programs & Systems: https://www.cpsmi.com/ 

Human Eyes Revived After Death by Scientists

 

A study published in Nature outlines how scientists at the University of Utah and Scripps Research restored life in human eyes after death. A team of researchers tracked activity in both mouse and human retinal cells soon after their passing. After only a few hours and a couple of tissue adjustments, scientists were able to revive the cells’ ability to communicate. 

B-waves, which are specific electrical signals, are typically seen in living retinas and indicate active communication between cells. Scientists were able to reignite the deceased eye cells with light stimulation. 

This novel discovery is the first of its kind, leading scientists to speculate further about death when pertaining to the central nervous system.

Biomedical scientist, Fatima Abbas from the University of Utah, said, “We were able to wake up photoreceptor cells in the human macula, which is the part of the retina responsible for our central vision and our ability to see fine detail and color. In eyes obtained up to five hours after an organ donor’s death, these cells responded to bright light, colored lights, and even very dim flashes of light.” 

Visual scientist, Frans Vinberg from the University of Utah, said, “We were able to make the retinal cells talk to each other, the way they do in the living eye to mediate human vision. Past studies have restored very limited electrical activity in organ donor eyes, but this has never been achieved in the macula, and never to the extent we have now demonstrated."

Retinal cells prodded by the researchers reacted to light for just about five hours after passing; however, the b-wave signals immediately ceased due to a lack of oxygen. 

The study authors wrote, "Since the retina is part of the CNS, our restoration of the b-wave in this study raises the question of whether brain death, as it is currently defined, is truly irreversible.”

Vinberg said, “The scientific community can now study human vision in ways that just aren’t possible with laboratory animals. We hope this will motivate organ donor societies, organ donors, and eye banks by helping them understand the exciting new possibilities this type of research offers.” 

Rohr Eye & Laser Center offers the most advanced technology available to provide personalized and extraordinary care to our patients. Whether your goal is to maintain or improve your natural vision, we are here to help you. Call us at 877-579-0202 to learn more.

Written by the digital marketing team at Creative Programs & Systems: https://www.cpsmi.com/