Information on Common Eye Conditions Such as Cataracts and
Glaucoma
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness around the world.
In the United States, cataracts are the major cause of vision loss, although due to the high level of care
available to us, cataracts are among the most treatable causes of diminished vision.
Cataracts can best be described as an opaque spot on the lens of the eye that you cannot see through. At best,
you seem to be looking through a cloud or a haze, and this haze can vary in size, density and location. Therefore,
its effect on your vision will also vary.
Many people experience a general reduction in vision at first; they need more light to read by, or they have
difficulty with street signs when they’re driving. A cataract can also effect depth perception. This can
be a particular danger to older people who risk greater injury from falls and accidents.
Learn which eye vitamins naturally improve eye health. Ocu-Plus Formula was designed to help people with Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, and Cataracts.
Support Your Vision And Eye Health
Question for Dr. Leia: Is there an alternative to cataract surgery, such as eye drops?
Dr. Leia’s Answer: Cataracts are opacities or clouding of the lens of the eye. Normally, a healthy lens is clear and transparent. The lens is made up of proteins which can clump together causing an opacity or clouding of the lens. There are many causes for the formation of cataracts, including aging, excessive sun or UV damage, oxidation of the lens by free radicals, radiation and x-rays, smoking, medications, trauma, diabetes, hypertension or high blood pressure, genetic or hereditary causes, and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, and scleroderma.
Symptoms of cataracts include hazy, glaring or blurring of vision, a yellowish discoloration of viewed objects, difficulty reading, sensitivity to bright lights, inability to drive at night, and eventually diminished vision, and clouding over of the pupil of the eye with a milky or yellowish hue.
Depending upon the severity of the cataract and the causative factor, it may be possible to find some relief with cineraria homeopathic eyedrops.
Helpful Cataract Eye Drops:
- Cineraria Cataract Eye Drops
- Similasan Healthy Relief
Make sure that you obtain the homeopathic eyedrops rather than the botanical or herbal eyedrops which can sting and may be a bit harsher on the eyes.
Homeopathic medicine is a far more gentler form of natural medicine and may or may not be effective depending upon the person’s individual constitutional response to homeopathic remedies and also depending upon the original cause of the cataracts.
If your cataracts are caused by trauma or diabetes, or any of the above-mentioned diseases, then the original disease must first be treated effectively. Remember, the basic tenet of natural medicine is to find and eliminate the cause of the problem, and not to just Band-Aid the symptoms.
Types of Cataracts
Nuclear Cataracts which are most often age related and lead to the need to change eye glass prescriptions on a regular basis.
Cortical Cataracts start near the center of the eye and cause the least amount of problems. They can cause problems with glare.They can also effect distance vision and contrast sensitivity.
Posterior Subcapsular Cataracts. This type most often starts close to the center near the black part of the eyes and can advance rapidly. This type can create complications such as near vision, eyesight impairment, and problems with glare within several months.
In addition, diet and nutrition appears to have an important role in the prevention of cataracts. Adequate anti-oxidant vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin B complex, C, E, and beta carotene, and zinc are important as are lycopene and lutein, carotenoids found in green, yellow, and orange fruit and vegetables.
It is important to note that if cataracts are left untreated or are extremely advanced and rapidly progressive, then they can cause blindness. So it would be prudent to be closely monitored by your ophthalmologist if you decide to try the natural route.
He/she will advise you of the type of your cataract, the extent of it, and if you are at high risk for rapid progression and other risks, and if you have a window of time for conservative treatment rather than necessary surgery. Also, note that cataract surgery is common, highly advanced and usually very effective as practiced in our society today.
Dr. Leia Melead
Glaucoma
The major types of glaucoma are:
Chronic Glaucoma or Open Angle is the most common type of Glucoma.With this type the filter which is known as the trabecular meshwork can get obstructed or clogged. When this happens it loses its ability to filter the acqueous humor fluid efficiently.
Even though elevated eye pressure is one of the diagnostic
tests used for glaucoma, approximately 30-40 percent of patients with open angle glaucoma have normal or
low eye pressure and develop optic nerve changes and progressive vision loss without having elevated eye
pressure. With open angle glaucoma, there are no visual symptoms until the disease has progressed, which
results in gradual loss of peripheral vision. Open angle glaucoma can be treated and often corrected.
Narrow Angle Glaucoma is an ocular emergency. Here there is an obstruction in the
drainage of the acqueous fluid due to a narrowing of the angle between the base of the iris and the cornea.
The symptoms can be a sudden, painful red eye, nausea, vomiting, headache and visual halos. In the event
of the symptoms above, go directly to the emergency room and call your ophthalmologist.
Low Tension Glaucoma is usually a sign of poor circulation. Heart problems, brain
tumors, or toxic drugs can all produce optic nerve damage that may present as glaucoma.
Secondary Glaucoma develops secondarily to other conditions, for example, due to inflammation, injury, blood
in the eye or drug side effects (such as from steroids).
Glaucoma suspects are people with higher than normal eye pressure but never develop glaucoma. These people
should be monitored regularly.
Open Angle Glaucoma is one of the types our protocol, described below, is recommended for.
Congenital Glaucoma may occur in the first few months of life.
List of Eye Conditions
- Best’s Disease
- Blepharitis
- Blepharospasm
- Cataracts
- Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO)
- Computer Eye Syndrome
- Cone-Rod Dystrophy
- Conjunctivitis
- Dark Circles Under the Eyes
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Dry Eyes
- Floaters
- Fuch’s Dystrophy
- Glaucoma
- Iritis
- Keratoconus
- Lattice Degeneration
- Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy
- Light Sensitivity
- Macular Degeneration
- Macular Edema Macular Hole
- Myopia (Nearsightedness)
- Ocular Migraine (Visual Migraine)
- Optic Nerve Atrophy
- Optic Neuritis, Presbyopia
- Pterygium
- Retinal Artery Occlusion
- Retinal Detachment
- Retinitis Pigmentosa
- Rod-Cone Dystrophy
- Stargardt’s Disease
- Sties
- Ushers Syndrome
- Uveitis
Learn which eye vitamins naturally improve eye health. The Rebuild Your Vision Ocu-Plus Formula was designed to improve vision and eye health, and help people with Macular Degeneration, Glaucoma, and Cataracts.
More information on this can be found in our free online health magazine.