Mindful Nutrition Saved My Eyesight!

We've all heard something like, you have your mother's eyes or father's eyes; she has your eyes or he has your eyes; your eyes are the window to your soul.

In April 2016, I was diagnosed, by an ophthalmologist after he shot photos of both my eyes during a comprehensive eye examination, with early stage Macular Degeneration! The doctor requested annual examinations going forward to determine the rate of progression. I was told the condition could be genetic and there was no cure. I had no noticeable symptoms. 

Later I asked my mom about possibility of genetics. She said my Auntie Deon had it and had lost her peripheral vision from it however she passed away before the disease fully robbed her vision, meaning not legally blind. This freaked me out because I didn't want that! I undertook a ton of research and found nutrition and exercise were essential elements to at least inhibit progression of the disease, and was already doing that. Just pumped it up a bit after learning more about it. 

So...What Is Macular Degeneration?

According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation, Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans – more than cataracts and glaucoma combined. At present, Macular Degeneration is considered an incurable eye disease.

Macular Degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina’s central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD); Geographic Atrophy (GA) Rare but possible

One can compare the human eye to a camera. The macula is the central and most sensitive area of the so-called film. When it is working properly, the macula collects highly detailed images at the center of the field of vision and sends them up the optic nerve to the brain, which interprets them as sight.  When the cells of the macula deteriorate, images are not received correctly. In early stages, macular degeneration does not affect vision. Later, if the disease progresses, people experience wavy or blurred vision, and, if the condition continues to worsen, central vision may be completely lost. People with very advanced macular degeneration are considered legally blind. Even so, because the rest of the retina is still working, they retain their peripheral vision, which is not as clear as central vision.

Risk Factors for Macular Degeneration.

The biggest risk factor for Macular Degeneration is age. Your risk increases as you age, and the disease is most likely to occur in those 55 years of age and older.

Other risk factors include:

• Genetics – People with a family history of Macular Degeneration are at higher risk.
• Race – Caucasians are more likely to develop the disease than African-Americans or Hispanics/Latinos.
• Smoking – Smoking doubles the risk.

What You Can Do About Macular Degeneration.

There is currently no known cure for Macular Degeneration, but there are things you can do to reduce your risk and possibly slow the progression once you’ve been diagnosed. For example, one can pursue lifestyle changes like diet, exercise, avoiding smoking, and protecting your eyes from ultraviolet light.

To that end, during the follow-up examination in May 2017, my Macular Degeneration was gone, disappeared, completely clear photos! The ophthalmologist said he had never seen anything like it! He compared this years photos with last year and couldn't believe what he was seeing... in virtual shock! He said, actually, the improvement in my eye photos were better than 25 years ago. He said he would remove Macular Degeneration from my medical record because there was none!

 

So I am old. Or am I?

Folks, I want you to know this happened to me and I do not claim to cure Macular Degeneration however it's obvious that good nutrition, moderate exercise, and better health can make a difference in your vision security. 

Eat right to save your eyesight...

And, I can help you with that!