Of the 40,000 sports-related eye injuries that occur every year, 10 to 20 percent pose serious danger to vision. But even a minor eye injury, such as a black eye caused by a blow to the eye, increases the later risk of glaucoma.
[SOURCE: “AAO reminds public to wear eye protection,” Ophthalmology Times, April 15, 2008]

Age, Smoking Increase Risk of AMD 
                                                                                   

About eight million older Americans have lost a significant portion of their central vision as a result of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Risk factors for AMD are:

• age–persons age 60 and over are at greater risk;
• smoking;
• obesity;
• race–whites are more likely to be affected;
• family history; and
• gender–women are more vulnerable than men.
[SOURCE: National Eye Institute, “Age-related macular degeneration,” last modified March, 2008]

Antioxidants Slow AMD Progression
                                                                                   

Thanks to the Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), Americans can buy an over-the-counter supplement with a mix of antioxidants, zinc and other substances believed to lower the risk of progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Among about 4,000 AREDS subjects with intermediate or advanced AMD, those taking this formula had a 25 percent reduced risk of disease progression.
The AREDS formula is now widely used as treatment for intermediate or advanced AMD. The study, however, provided no evidence of benefits for persons with less advanced disease.
More recently, smaller studies have found beneficial eye effects from lutein, zeaxanthin (both carotenoids) and omega-3 fatty acids (found in cold-water fish such as salmon).
[SOURCE: Diana L. Shechtman and Paul M. Karpecki, “Supplements combat AMD,” Review of Optometry, February 15, 2008]

Avoid Styes, Don’t Share Makeup
                                                                                       

An infection in an eyelash follicle, a stye ordinarily clears up on its own within a few days when treated with warm compresses. To prevent styes, doctors recommend using good hygiene, particularly around the eyes, and avoiding rubbing of the eyes. One risk involves sharing eye makeup or applying too much.
[SOURCE: Troy Bedinghaus, O.D., “What is a stye?” About.com Vision, February 12, 2004]

Blacks More Vulnerable to Cataracts
                                                                       

African Americans are twice as likely as whites to develop cataracts, according to the nine-year population-based Barbados Eye Studies. Blacks were three times more likely to develop cortical cataracts, and the authors attributed this increased risk in part to the higher prevalence of diabetes, high blood pressure and abdominal obesity in this population.

African Americans were advised to make lifestyle changes to control these conditions and to get regular eye examinations to identify cataracts early.

[SOURCE: Leonid Skorin, Jr. “Cataracts: The Case for Earlier Surgery,” Consultant, August, 2004; “Blacks Have Higher Incidence of Cataract,” Review of Optometry, April 15, 2004]


Broccoli Protects Eyes from UV Rays
                                                                                   

The eyes as well as the skin are vulnerable to oxidative damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. With advancing age, the eye becomes less efficient at removing oxidants, resulting eventually in macular degeneration and blindness. Studies have shown that sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts, helps protect the retina of the eye against oxidative damage. 
[SOURCE: David Kosub, "USA: Eating Broccoli Could Protect Eyes from UV Light-Research," Just-Food-Com, September 6, 2004]

Can Statins Prevent Cataracts?
                                                                                               

Results from the Beaver Dam Eye Study at the University of Wisconsin suggest that cholesterol-lowering statins may also protect against nuclear cataracts. Among 1,299 subjects at risk of cataracts, those using statins had a 40 percent decreased risk (after adjusting for diabetes and smoking) compared to those not using statins.
[SOURCE: “Statins and cataract risk,” Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, August 31, 2007]

Cataract Surgery Is Cost Effective
                                                                                   

Cataract surgery is expensive, but the cost of not treating severe vision impairment due to cataracts–in terms of reduced productivity and need for care–is much greater. Especially in less developed countries, cataract surgery is considered one of the most cost-effective health measures. Yet in Africa, only 200 per million people get cataract surgery every year compared to 5,000 per million people in the United States.

[SOURCE: Penny A. Asbell, et al, “Age-Related Cataract (Seminar),” The Lancet, February 12, 2005]

Contact Wearers Beware 
                                                                                       

Persons who wear contact lenses should trade them in for protective goggles or safety glasses when they are in an environment where there is a possibility of exposure to chemicals, vapors, splashes, radiant or intense heat, molten metals or airborne particles.
[SOURCE: Prevent Blindness America, “Contact lens use in industry,” 2005]

Contacts for Kids? Pro and Con
                                                                                               

If your child needs corrected vision, you’re likely to hear arguments for and against contact lenses. On the plus side, contact lenses fit well with an active child’s lifestyle. Glasses are a nuisance on the soccer field or basketball court and some children are embarrassed at the “four eyes” or “nerd” stereotypes.

Some doctors oppose the idea of contacts before the age of 12. Children may be less likely than adults to practice proper hygiene and remove the lenses at night, creating a risk of infection. At least some of this risk has been removed with the introduction daily disposable contacts and continuous wear lenses that allow oxygen to permeate to the eye.
[SOURCE: Jeffrey J. Walline, “Why Fit Children with Contact Lenses?” Ophthalmology Times, May 15, 2006]

Diabetic Eye Problems Get Early Start
                                                                       

Diabetic eye disease may start earlier than previously believed–even before the onset of type 2 diabetes–according to recent data from the Diabetes Prevention Program study.
Researchers found diabetic retinopathy in eight percent of pre-diabetics, subjects with impaired glucose tolerance but not enough for a diabetes diagnosis. And among subjects who developed diabetes during the course of the study, 12 percent had retinopathy.
These findings reinforced previous views that even newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics should have regular eye examinations.

[SOURCE: Rosemary Janiszewski, “Diabetic Retinopathy Occurs in Pre-Diabetes,” NIH News, June 12, 2005; Emily Chew, M.D., paper presented to American Diabetes Association Annual Scientific Sessions, June, 2005]

Early Action Can Save Vision 
                                                                                   

Glaucoma, caused by pressure inside the eye high enough to threaten the health of the optic nerve, is a major cause of blindness. Three to six million Americans are at risk, but they can take early action to protect themselves. Doctors recommend screening for glaucoma every two years after age 50. For persons with abnormally high pressure within the eye, a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology [June, 2002] found that taking eye pressure lowering medication reduced the five-year risk of getting glaucoma to 4.4 percent, compared to 9.5 percent for those not taking medication. 
[SOURCE: "Glaucoma: Prevention Is the Best Medicine," The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter, June, 2003]

Early Action Prevents Vision Loss
                                                                                   

Diabetic retinopathy is the number one cause of vision loss among American adults age 20 to 74, but 98 percent of cases of severe vision loss could be prevented with early diagnosis and treatment.
The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial determined that patients with optimal control of blood sugar had a 76 percent reduction in retinopathy compared to those receiving conventional therapy.
[SOURCE: Eric A. Rosenberg and Laura c. Sperazza, “The visually impaired patient,” American Family Physician, May 15, 2008]

Exercise Good for Aging Eyes                                                                                                            


Middle-aged and older Americans who exercised at least three times a week had a 70 percent reduced risk of developing the most advanced “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration, a disease that progressively destroys central vision, according to a population-based study of 3,874 residents of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

Researchers believe the exercise helped reduce inflammation and endothelial dysfunction of blood vessels in the eyes.
[SOURCE: British Journal of Ophthalmology; “Physical Activity May Help Protect Aging Eyes,” Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, January, 2007]


Eye Exams Allow Early Detection
                                                                                               

The best way to limit the vision loss that can occur with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is to detect the problem early through regular eye examinations.
Doctors recommend an eye exam every two to four years for persons age 40 and over and every one to two years for persons over age 65. If you’re a smoker or have a family history of AMD, more frequent examinations are advised.
[“Age-related macular degeneration,” MayoClinic.com, August 14, 2006]

Get UV Protection in Your Sunglasses
                                                                                   

When you buy sunglasses, be sure to look for a label specifying what kind of protection the glasses offer against ultraviolet rays. They should protect your eyes from both UVA and UVB rays, blocking 99 to 100 percent of all rays. Glasses that are merely tinted without UV protection cause more harm than wearing no sunglasses at all. The tinted lenses allow the pupil to dilate, letting in more harmful rays. 
If you're unsure about your sun glasses, have them tested at an optical store or your eye doctor's office. [SOURCE: "Sunglass Safety: When Selecting Sunglasses, There's More at Stake than Style," American Fitness, July-August, 2004]

How Do You Get Your Lutein? 
                                                                                               

Lutein, an antioxidant substance known to protect the eye against age-related macular degeneration, can be found in abundance in green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and collard greens. A two-ounce serving of spinach has about 11 milligrams of lutein. A recent study found that designer eggs-from chickens that had been fed marigold petals-provided six times more lutein than standard eggs and that this lutein was more readily absorbed into the blood than lutein from other food sources or from supplements. The authors theorized that the increased bioavailability might be due to other components in the yolk, such as lecithins. 
[SOURCE: Rose Marie Bliss, "Nutrition and Eye Health," Agricultural Research, August, 2003]

LASIK Surgery vs Contacts
                                                                                                           

Surgery always involves some risk, but LASIK surgery to correct vision may carry less risk than the wearing of contact lenses, according to a letter by three ophthalmologists published in the Archives of Ophthalmology [October, 2006].

The lifetime risk of vision loss is 1 in 10,000 for LASIK, compared to a risk of 1 in 2,000 for contact lens wearers, according to the letter. “It’s not that contacts aren’t good,” the ophthalmologists wrote. “Laser surgery is as safe, and probably safer, than long-term use of contact lenses.”

The letter evoked controversy among eye doctors with responses centering around adverse effects such as glare, haloes and dryness associated with LASIK surgery. New wavefront techniques may eliminate some of these effects.
[SOURCE: John Murphy, “Which Is Safer: LASIK or Contacts?” Review of Optometry, November 15, 2006]

Monitoring Eye Changes
                                                                                                           

Of the eight million Americans with intermediate-stage macular degeneration, about 18 percent will advance to the severe stage within five years.
Researchers conducting the AREDS study concluded that those most likely to develop advanced AMD had at least one large drusen (yellowish spot) and/or pigment changes close to the center of the macula, an area of the eye responsible for sharp, detailed vision.
[SOURCE: Cheryl Guttman, “Careful, frequent monitoring for exudative AMD important in at-risk eyes,” Ophthalmology times, March 15, 2008]

New Lens Implant May Eliminate Need
For Glasses after Cataract Surgery
                       

A new intraocular lens now being tested may eliminate the need for a person to wear eyeglasses or contacts following cataract surgery. The lens is designed to maintain distance vision while improving near vision.
I
n a study involving 118 patients in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, 74 percent did not need glasses six months after the foldable lens was implanted.

[SOURCE: Jane Salodof MacNeil, “Lens Implants May Improve Post-Cataract Surgery Focus,” Family Practice News, July 1, 2005]

Prevent Glaucoma with Diet 
                                                                                                           

With glaucoma, abnormally high pressure within the eye damages nerves that carry messages from the light receptors to the brain. The elevated pressure could be due to damaged blood vessels in the eye or to the buildup of free radicals, a by-product of oxidation. To help prevent glaucoma, studies have shown the benefit of exercise and a low-fat diet that includes at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 
[SOURCE: Georgia E. Hodgkin, "The Eyes Have It...or Need It," Vibrant Life, September, 2001]

Referral to Eye Specialist Important
                                                                                               

To protect against the development of diabetes-related eye disorders, diabetics need regular dilated examinations by an eye specialist. Since most patients get their care from a family practice physician, accurate and timely referral is not always made. One recent study found that family doctors given four hours of education in diabetic eye disorders and taught how to use an ophthalmoscope (a tool for examining the eyes) were more accurate than other physicians in making a timely referral to a specialist.
[SOURCE: J.M. Gill, D.M. Cole, H.M. Lebowitz, et al, “Accuracy of screening for diabetic retinopathy by family physicians,” Annals of Family Medicine, 2004;(2):218-220]

Roadside Athletes: Watch Your Eyes 
                                                                                   

If you run, jog or walk along the side of a highway or heavily traveled thoroughfare, you may want to consider wearing protective eyewear. An article in the American Journal of Ophthalmology [March, 2004] reports three case of roadside walkers and runners who suffered severe eye injuries when a small piece of metal was apparently kicked up from the road by a passing vehicle. All three injuries were potentially vision threatening, with tiny metallic fragments cutting through the cornea and lodging deep in the eye. Although the risk of such an accident is small, the doctors recommended that roadside athletes protect their eyes with lenses made of impact-resistant material. 
[SOURCE: Amy Norton, "Joggers on Roadways, Mind Your Eyes," Reuters Health, April 23, 2004]

Sticky Eyes Mean Conjunctivitis
                                                                                       

If you wake up in the morning with gritty, sticky eyes with discharge that tends to glue your lids together, you probably have conjunctivitis. It’s a minor infection that can be bacterial, viral or allergic, and it can usually be treated with warm compresses, sometimes with antibiotics to prevent the spread of bacteria. Discharge should be removed with a clean tissue followed by hand washing to prevent the spread of infection. A sexually active person with an eye discharge plus swollen lymph nodes in front of the ears persistent for more than two weeks should be tested for chlamydial conjunctivitis.
[SOURCE: Bruce M. Gardner, M.D., “Conjunctivitis, corneal abrasions, and other ophthalmic conditions,” Mescape coverage of American Academy of Family Physjicians, 52nd Annual Science Assembly, 2000; Dr. Scott Fras


Street, Work Glasses Not for Sports
                                                                                                  

For sports eyewear, look for the approval of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for the specific sport you’re playing. To pass this standard, frames and lenses are tested for the ability to withstand impact from balls traveling at 90 miles per hour from a variety of angles.
Eye glasses intended for street wear are required to be shatter resistant but only for activities that have little risk of causing eye injuries. Glasses to be used in industrial settings or home workshops must meet a more rigorous standard: American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z87.1. However, neither street nor work glasses are adequate for wear during most sports activities.
[SOURCE: Debra R. White, “Recommending sports eyewear for children: using the proper eye protection can prevent most sports-related eye injuries,” Ophthalmology Times, September 15, 2008]

Sunglasses Best Protection for Eyes
                                                                                   

Sunglasses offer excellent protection against ultraviolet radiation from the sun, shielding not only the lenses of the eye but the entire area, including the eyelids. UV-absorbing contact lenses are available but should not be used as a substitute for sunglasses. Doctors point out that it's important to wear sunglasses on cloudy as well as sunny days and during winter as well as summer. Whenever there is light outside, ultraviolet A and B rays can reach your eyes and skin and cause damage. 
[SOURCE: "Sunglass Safety: When Selecting Sunglasses, There's More at Stake than Style," American Fitness, July-August, 2004]

Vitamin E and Your Eyes 
                                                                                                           

Several recent studies have questioned the value, and possible harm, of large doses (400 IU a day or more) of vitamin E supplements. For most individuals the solution is simple: get vitamin E from food sources plus multivitamins.The problem becomes complicated, however, for persons diagnosed with either an intermediate case of macular degeneration (MD) or advanced MD in one eye. The AREDS antioxidant vitamin prescribed for these patients includes 400 IU of vitamin E (as well as zinc and copper). Studies of AREDS have shown no benefits for patients with early disease. Medical experts suggest that these patients eat plenty of leafy green vegetables, a good source of vitamin E as well as beta carotene and lutein, a substance important to macular health.
[SOURCE: “Vitamin E Gets an F,” Harvard Health Letter, June, 2005]

Victory Recorded in War on Blindness
                                                                                   

Despite continuing population growth, the incidence of blindness decreased worldwide, from about 45 million in 2000 to 38 million today, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This was the first recorded decrease in the number of blind people and may be attributed in part to strategies developed by WHO’s Vision 2020: The Right To Sight campaign. With a strong focus on cataracts, the program involves training local medical staff and the purchase of the equipment needed for cataract surgery.

Cataracts are the most common reversible cause of vision loss or impairment worldwide. When access to cataract surgery is available, good functional vision can be restored in 90 to 95 percent of cases.

[SOURCE: “Number of Blind People Drops: WHO,” Australian Associated Press, October 13, 2005]

Vision Problems Up Depression Risk
                                                                                   

Older Americans suffering from macular degeneration or other vision problems have an increased risk of depression that frequently gets overlooked. Patients may see their situation as hopeless and their feelings regarding vision loss often go beyond any disability they suffer.

One study found that at least a third of seniors with vision impairment had symptoms of depression. Many ophthalmologists routinely screen for depression.
[SOURCE: “Depression Tops List of Attending Problems for Rehabilitation Patients: Researchers Advocate Routine Depression Screening,” Rehab Continuum Report, April, 2004]

Watch Out for Vision Problems
                                                                                               

A headache of a kind you’ve never had before, scalp tenderness and sudden changes in vision can be signs of temporal arteritis, a major cause of permanent vision loss in persons age 50 and over. With prompt treatment, this disease can be successfully treated and visual problems reversed.

Women are twice as likely as men to get temporal arteritis, an inflammatory disease of the arteries. Individuals of Northern European descent are particularly vulnerable.
[SOURCE: Ted D. Epperly, et al, “Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Temporal Arteritis,” American Family Physician, August 15, 2000]

Why Is My Eye Twitching?
                                                                                                   

Your eyelid is twitching uncontrollably for seconds at a time. You feel very self-conscious when you’re in public, but in reality the movement is barely noticeable to others.
    A common but annoying problem, a twitching eyelid is usually caused by stress, fatigue, dehydration, lack of sleep...or too much caffeine. Twitching may also be caused by a local irritation such as dry eye or blepharitis. It usually resolves on its own and is no cause for concern.
[SOURCE: Perret Opticians, “Ocular symptoms: eyelid problems,”]

You Are the Berry of My Eye 
                                                                                   

Blueberries, bilberries, strawberries, currants and cherries-these highly colored, highly flavored fruits are high in bioflavonoids known as anthocyanidins that are believed to benefit the eyes as well as overall health. Potent antioxidants, anthocyanidins help improve the strength and elasticity of tiny blood vessels, such as those that supply blood to the eyes and the optic nerve. Grape-seed extract contains another type of flavonoid, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), that may play a role in reducing eye damage caused by high blood pressure, diabetes or smoking. One early study found that 150 milligrams a day of OPCs from grape-seed extract significantly reduced the progression of diabetic retinopathy. 
[SOURCE: Amber Ackerson, "In Focus: Picture-Perfect Eye Health," Better Nutrition, September, 2003]