Eye Conditions

Independent testing by a White Plains, NY firm, ConsumerLab.com, has found that 7 of 24 fish oil supplements tested exhibited quality problems.  Some products exhibited multiple issues.

• Three products contained less of the omega 3 fatty acids EPA and/or DHA than claimed,
• Three product were spoiled (including a children’s supplement)
• One enteric-coated product released its ingredients too early
• One supplement for pets exceeded the contamination limit for PCBs.

Read More »

Researchers are examining dry eye syndrome‘s relationship to meibomian gland dysfunction and other eye conditions.

According to The Cornea & Contact Lens Society of New Zealand, “meibomian glands are the oil-producing glands located in both the upper and lower eyelids… This oil helps to stop the water in the tears from evaporating, thus helping to prevent dry eyes.”  Dry eye symptoms can result when this stabilizing oil does not reach the tear film.

Spanish scientists publishing in Cornea found that nearly 50% of subjects with dry eye also had meibomian gland dysfunction.

In this study, it was also concluded that “Pterygium*, trauma, cataract surgery, pseudoexfoliation, and glaucoma are associated with signs of dry eye.”
Read More »

Researchers at the University of Manchester are making strides as they begin to understand another cause of macular degeneration.

Five years ago, scientists discovered that people who developed macular degeneration had a variant form of the gene CFH, a protein involved in the regulation of the immune system.  In this new study it was found that people with this variant gene are more susceptible to inflammation within the eye that could eventually lead to the damage of cells and the development of macular degeneration.
Read More »

Though we have often heard that whole grains are an essential part of a healthy diet, but this may not be true for everyone. According to Dr. Mercola, over 85% of Americans have trouble controlling their insulin levels which is related to the development of diabetes.

Eating carbohydrate-containing foods, whether high in sugar or high in starch (such as bread – even organic, whole-grain bread, potatoes, processed breakfast cereals, and rice), temporarily raises blood sugar and insulin levels.
Read More »

Cellular Basis for Glaucoma

Researchers at Catalyst for a Cure (CFC) consortium, a division of the Glaucoma Research Foundation, have announced their continuing work in 2011: studying how and why retinal ganglion cells degenerate in people with glaucoma. Retinal ganglion cells are types of neuron located near the inner surface eye’s retina.  They receive visual images from the photoreceptors and transmit the information to the brain.
Read More »