Eye Protection Protocol

    

There are literally many dozens of things you can do for your eyes; if you do these you may not need glasses at 70

     

“The dose of vitamin C necessary to increase the vitamin C content of the eye lens is equal to or greater than 1000 mg.” Ringvold et al

“Acetyl-L-Carnitine was shown to be effective in reducing glycation protein damage leading to cataract formation.”  Swamy-Mruthinti et al

“Low selenium levels appear to be a major factor in the development of a cataract.” Murray & Pizzorno

“150 mg of ALA taken daily for one month, improves visual function and ocular hypertension in glaucoma patients.” Filina et al 1995

“A diet high in omega-3 essential fatty acids, especially from fish such as salmon, offers significant protection against both early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD).”  Archives of Opthalmology July 2006

“Vitamin B1 deficient states are frequently associated with glaucoma.” Asregadoo 1979

“In a study of 46 patients with severe glaucoma Ginkgo Biloba extract demonstrated some improvements in IOP and visual field at a dose of 160 mg/day for four weeks and 120 mg/day thereafter.” Merte & Merkel 

“Scientific studies have demonstrated that the consumption of lutein and zeaxanthin helps maintain and can even restore macular pigment.” Life Extension

“When vegetable oils are heated they form a compound called HNE which attacks your arteries, nerves and eye tissue like sulfuric acid etches glass. It’s been implicated in hardening of the arteries, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Huntington’s and liver disease as well as age related macular degeneration.”  Doctor David G. Williams

“Prevention and treatment of cataracts are probably the more scientifically documented and beneficial uses of dietary supplements, Free-radical action has been directly linked to and accepted as one of the major causes of cataracts and damage to the healthy eye.”  Life Extension

“If glutathione levels are abnormal they can affect the health of the eye in a major way.” Bunin

“An increased consumption of the omega 3 EFAs can slash the risk of advanced macular degeneration by up to 70%.” Astrid Fletcher, UK

“In lens with cataracts copper and zinc are reduced by 90% over normal levels; manganese is half normal.”  Swanson & Truesdale

“The regeneration of active glutathione in the eye lens requires the B vitamin riboflavin.” Skalka et al

“In a study of fifty patients with cataracts bilberry extract combined with vitamin E stopped the progression of the cataracts in all but two patients.” Bravetti

“People who consume higher amounts of vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, etc.) lose their vision 3.8 times faster, and have twice the risk of macular degeneration.” Doctor Paul Beaumont

“Nutritional supplements have been shown to reduce the risks of cataracts as well as slow or reverse their progress.” Bantseev 1997

“Supplementation with lutein an antioxidant and DHA an omega 3 EFA promotes beneficial changes in the eye that may help prevent AMD.” Johnson EJ et al Am J Clinical Nutrition 2008 May

“Individuals with macular degeneration tend to have low blood levels of the hormone DHEA as well as a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality.” Life Extension

“Even Dr. Bates was surprised at what one man in his late 60's accomplished with palming. This man had worn glasses for forty years for distance, and twenty years for reading. He was also developing cataracts. When he asked how long he could palm, Dr. Bates told him he could not overdo it. At his next appointment the man reported "It was tedious, very tedious, but I did it." He had palmed from 4 am to midnight, eating nothing and drinking lots of water. He could now see perfectly both in the distance and for reading, and his cataract had cleared up significantly. Two years later there was no relapse.” Palming to Improve Vision

“British researchers examined 4,400 older people participating in the European Eye Study. Among subjects with the lowest combined antioxidant levels, sunlight exposure was significantly associated with elevated risk of developing advanced macular degeneration.” Fletcher et al, Note here is one instance where the sun can hurt you make SURE you are topped up on your antioxidants!

“Grape seed OPC has also proved good medicine for your eyes. It helps eyes recover from the glare of bright lights. OPC helps relieve eye stress caused by working at a computer monitor and improved the function and sensitivity of the retina in nearsighted people. OPC’s strong antioxidant activity may also make it ideal treatment for age-related macular degeneration.” Jean Carper

“I credit the slowdown in my macular degeneration to first Pycnogenol and then to grape seed extract.  Until my recent retirement I recommended OPC grape seed extract and Pycnogenol to all my patients. I do not know a single patient who did not benefit.” Doctor Madison Dixon, Optometrist

“The carotenoid xanthophylls such as lutein, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin are all useful in eye health because their ability to cross the blood brain and eye barrier.” Life Extension

“In a study of fifty patients with cataracts bilberry extract combined with vitamin E stopped the progression of the cataracts in all but two patients.” Bravetti

“Prevention and treatment of cataracts are probably the more scientifically documented and beneficial uses of dietary supplements. Free radical action has been directly linked to and accepted as one of t he major causes of cataracts and damage to the healthy eye.”  Life Extension

“The selenium content of a human eye aqueous humor with a cataract was about 60% of that of a normal lens. The aqueous humor was found to have 25 times the H2O2 as the normal lens.”  Karakucuk et al

"Ophthalmologist William H. Bates found ways to use relaxation, imagination, and other natural means to resolve nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and many other vision problems. The technique of palming to rest the eyes from all light stimulation was an integral part of his approach. He concluded from his study and treatment of thousands of eyes that tight muscles actually contort the eyes and restrict circulation. He found that palming helps those muscles relax and let go."   The Bates Method of Eyesight Improvement

"We prepared solutions of L-carnosine and guanidine, which is a substance known to form cataracts. We exposed the tissue cultures to either guanidine or a combination of guanidine and carnosine. The findings revealed that the guanidine lenses became completely cloudy, while the guanidine/carnosine lenses developed 50% to 60% less cloudiness. Carnosine also restored most of the clarity to clouded lenses; carnosine could hold potential for preventing and treating cataracts."  Enrico Rizzarelli et al,  Biochemistry 48(27):6522-6531, 2009

"You need at least 20 mg of lutein and at least one mg of zeaxanthin to make a difference in your eye health. And most eye supplements just aren’t potent enough to do you any good. Pick up some dark, leafy vegetables. Spinach, kale, collards and Swiss chard will do the trick. They’re full of lutein. Eat whole eggs. The yolk provides another natural source of lutein. Add some color to your meals. Pick a few orange peppers, zucchini and squash. Toss in a few kiwi fruit. All contain zeaxanthin. In fact, the more colorful your food choices, the better your eye health may be.”   Doctor Al Sears MD

"Enrico Rizzarelli of the University of Catania and his colleagues tested the effects of D- and L-carnosine on bovine cultured alpha-crystallin, the major structural protein in the lens of the eye. Taken together, carnosine treatments showed a visible reversion of the effects of guanidine, either in preventive treatments or as recovery after lens opacification, supporting the notion that lens protein conformational changes, observed also in our study, are strongly associated with lens opacification and can be somehow reversible. However, it is worth noting that carnosine is also an antioxidant compound and its ability to protect lenses from opacification can be also attributed to the nitric oxide (NO) direct quenching effect of carnosine or inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) induction under stressing conditions. Carnosine is also present in the eye lenses at a high level, therefore, our result supports the hypothesis that a possible decrease during aging, as it is known in the muscle, could contribute to age-related cataractogenesis,"    Life Extension, Note Guanidine alone will cause cataracts

"Cantaloupes, mangoes and sweet potatoes are all part of the yellow/orange category and help with the eye and heart health. Green grapes, kiwis, broccoli and spinach also help with vision and reducing the risk of cancer."   Life Extension

What all too many eye doctors don’t know is that good old fashioned nutrition may be the only thing standing between you and a life-time of excellent vision.”  Doctor William Douglass MD

"A growing number of scientists believe macular degeneration is related to to slow degradation of blood vessels in the eye. It may be that increased levels of homocysteine causes vascular endothelial injury by promoting free radical release."   Life Extension

"The vascular benefits of resveratrol—a compound in red wine, blueberries and peanuts—may extend to reducing the risk of blindness for diabetics and seniors, says a new study. According to findings published in the American Journal of Pathology, resveratrol could reverse the abnormal formation of blood vessels in the retina of mice subjected to a laser treatment.”    Swanson Vitamins

      

Thinking Can Improve YOUR Vision

"Research shows that 30 million (or one out of four) Americans age 40 and older suffer from some level of vision loss. According to the AOA's 2008 American Eye-Q(R) survey, which assesses public knowledge and understanding of a wide range of issues related to eye and visual health, only 29 percent of Americans are coping with vision loss or other eye problems by increasing nutrients for healthy eyes."    Life Extension

"While 20/20 vision is a symbol of visual acuity, between now and the year 2020, more and more people will experience some extent of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other sight-robbing diseases. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists at the Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research are finding that healthy eating can reduce not only health care costs, but also the decline of quality of life due to these diseases.”     Life Extension

    

There are literally many dozens of things you can do for your eyes. ALL of them will also help other parts of your body. I do each and every one. By the time we reach 70 or so many of us have cataracts. Why?

“The dose of vitamin C necessary to increase the vitamin C content of the eye lens is equal to or greater than 1000 mg.” Ringvold et al “Low selenium levels appear to be a major factor in the development of a cataract.” Murray & Pizzorno “Acetyl-L-Carnitine was shown to be effective in reducing glycation protein damage leading to cataract formation.”  Swamy-Mruthinti et al “In lens with cataracts copper and zinc are reduced by 90% over normal levels; manganese is half normal.”  Swanson & Truesdale

How many of us get more than one gram of vitamin C in a day let alone as a one shot? 85% of us are deficient in selenium. How many of us take Acetyl L-Carnitine? How many of us take the time and thought to make sure our copper and zinc are balanced and sufficient?

You NEED to feed your eyes or they will fail you. Individuals who do not eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day are 5 to 13 times more likely to develop cataracts. Insufficient dietary vitamin C intake also dramatically increases cataract risk 4 to 11 times. Both vitamin C and glutathione are found in high concentrations in your eye lens.

  

Diet for YOUR Eyes

Diet is very important to avoid future and help current eye problems. About 20% of us over the age of 60 have Macular Degeneration. Several recent studies have suggested very concrete ways you can modify your diet to avoid Advanced Macular Degeneration. Eat a diet rich in the right kinds of fat, and get enough vitamin D. Avoid eating sugar, simple starches and foods high on the Glycemic Index (See Glycemic Index Protocol). Since heat harms both lutein and zeaxanthin try to get these sources raw.

Glutathione (See Glutathione Protocol) is a key to good eye health. Your eyes depend on glutathione and vitamin C for MANY functions.

  

Circulation is a KEY

"A growing number of scientists believe macular degeneration is related to to slow degradation of blood vessels in the eye. It may be that increased levels of homocysteine causes vascular endothelial injury by promoting free radical release."   Life Extension

Your eyes require circulation to get the required nutrients in and the waste products out. This circulation is very slow in a normal healthy eye so IMO we need an excellent circulation system (See Circulation System Protection Protocol). When you remove your arterial plaque you will remove some from the arteries which feed your eyes. It is becoming accepted in eye circles that endothelial health is very important for your eyes. Keeping your blood in good shape is REQUIRED.

Since anatomically your eyes are considered part of your brain vinpocetine (See Vinpocetine Protocol) which has been shown to be our most powerful supplement to aid blood circulation to our brains, may be an important supplement for your eyes. Making sure your arterial system feeding your eyes is absolutely free of any micro-clots with an occasional bloodstream cleanse (See Bloodstream Cleanse Protocol) is a MUST IMO. I view most eye problems as nutritional, circulatory or antioxidant in nature until proven otherwise.

Palming IMO aids the normally very poor circulation of key nutrients and waste products into and out of your eyes and should be done each day.

  

Vegetables a Key to Eye Health

“People who consume higher amounts of vegetable oils (corn oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, etc.) lose their vision 3.8 times faster, and have twice the risk of macular degeneration.” Doctor Paul Beaumont

“When vegetable oils are heated they form a compound called HNE which attacks your arteries, nerves and eye tissue like sulfuric acid etches glass. It’s been implicated in hardening of the arteries, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s Huntington’s and liver disease as well as age related macular degeneration.”  Doctor David G. Williams

"You need at least 20 mg of lutein and at least one mg of zeaxanthin to make a difference in your eye health. And most eye supplements just aren’t potent enough to do you any good. Pick up some dark, leafy vegetables. Spinach, kale, collards and Swiss chard will do the trick. They’re full of lutein. Eat whole eggs. The yolk provides another natural source of lutein. Add some color to your meals. Pick a few orange peppers, zucchini and squash. Toss in a few kiwi fruit. All contain zeaxanthin. In fact, the more colorful your food choices, the better your eye health may be.”   Doctor Al Sears MD

“Scientific studies have demonstrated that the consumption of lutein and zeaxanthin helps maintain and can even restore macular pigment.” Life Extension

“The carotenoid xanthophylls such as lutein, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin are all useful in eye health because their ability to cross the blood brain and eye barrier.” Life Extension

"Cantaloupes, mangoes and sweet potatoes are all part of the yellow/orange category and help with the eye and heart health. Green grapes, kiwis, broccoli and spinach also help with vision and reducing the risk of cancer."   Life Extension

The evidence is crystal clear; do not eat your vegetables as processed vegetable oil; instead eat the raw vegetables themselves. This will improve your eye health as well as the health of almost every one of your systems.

     

Vitamin C is Required

The level of vitamin C within parts of your eye is about ten times the level of vitamin C in your blood stream. If you do not supply a LOT of vitamin C in your blood stream your eyes may be lacking this critical antioxidant. Glutathione and carnosine play an important role in countering glycation (See Glycation Protocol) and oxidation, which can cloud your lens and otherwise harm your eyes. Make sure both are supplied to your eyes in large amounts. Without good levels of selenium (See Selenium Protocol) IMO you will probably have eye problems sooner or later. IMO an antioxidant produced by your body SOD (See SOD Protocol) may play a large part in eye health.

  

Continuation of Eye Protection Protocol (See Eye Protection Protocol Continuation)