[ad_1]
Carotenoids are red, orange, and yellow pigments that plants produce. Xanthophylls are a specific category of carotenoids with neuroprotective and antioxidant actions.
Three in particular—lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin—are especially beneficial in protecting the eyes from oxidative damage and eye diseases.
Lutein & zeaxanthin help:
[ad_2]
Morgan Chamberlain
Source link
[ad_1]
“Oxidative stress occurs when the cells in our bodies react to oxygen-reactive species, which can negatively impact our cellular signaling,” optometrist Victor Paul, O.D., of DeCesare Eye Care, tells mindbodygreen. “Environmental stressors—including UV rays and pollutants, to name a few—increase free radicals in our bodies.”
In a 2015 randomized controlled trial (RCT) published by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers found that maqui berry extract helped improve oxidative status in healthy adults.* You can thank the berry’s phytonutrients anthocyanin and delphinidin for these impressive antioxidant actions.
“Almost all of the proposed benefits of maqui berry [are] because of the high amount of anthocyanin (and, specifically, the bioactive compound delphinidin) in the fruit,” Giovinazzo explains. “The phytonutrient works primarily by promoting a healthy inflammatory pathway in our body. Anthocyanins reduce oxidative stress by combating free radicals, including UV rays (to help promote healthy skin and anti-aging) and lipid peroxidation.”*
In a recent animal study published in Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity, scientists found that oxidative stress implicated cellular structures, giving rise to undesirable conditions and faster aging. The anthocyanin and delphinidin levels in maqui berries promote an overall healthy homeostasis in the body, staving off the oxidative stress linked to such life-disrupting health issues.*
Smaller amounts of free radicals can also promote healthy, youthful skin1 that’s so shiny and bright it almost glows. Studies show that maqui berry combats the enzymes known to break down collagen, keeping the elasticity of your skin cells so they can look as young and vibrant as possible.*
“Initial studies suggest that maqui berry can be good for the skin because it might have some protective effects against premature aging of skin,”* Giovinazzo says. “UV rays can lead to wrinkles and other unwanted skin concerns. The antioxidants in maqui berry can help combat free radicals formed as a result of the sun.” Because of the skin benefits of maqui berry, it can be helpful to anyone that frequently deals with sun exposure.
[ad_2]
Stephanie Osmanski
Source link
[ad_1]
Your body cannot make carotenoids on its own, which means you need to consume them via foods and/or dietary supplements to bolster healthy levels. To support optimal eye health and longevity, research suggests you need at least 10 milligrams of lutein, 2 milligrams of zeaxanthin, and 6 milligrams of astaxanthin daily.
When it comes to food, lutein and zeaxanthin can be found in leafy greens (e.g., kale, spinach, and collards), avocado, green peas, orange peppers, and eggs. Astaxanthin is primarily found in marine-derived foods, such as salmon, shrimp, lobster, and algae.
For a simpler way to get efficacious daily doses of lutein, zeaxanthin, and astaxanthin, you can also consider taking a premium eye health supplement. Check out mindbodygreen’s guide to vision longevity supplements to learn what to look for and see our product recommendations.
[ad_2]
Morgan Chamberlain
Source link
[ad_1]
The ScreenFit program lasts for 30 days, with one 10- to 15-minute exercise each day (it’s super low-lift and easy to add to your routine). For the purposes of this article, I completed all 30 exercises in 10 days—so three per day—a “bootcamp version,” if you will.
Some of the exercises require you to close one eye and exercise them one-by-one. After completing the very first exercise, I immediately thought, OK, wow, my right eye is seriously out of shape. It was much harder to complete the exercises on the right; I even had to take quick breaks in between. When I told Appelbaum about this imbalance, though, he wasn’t at all surprised.
“So many eye coordination problems manifest, because in life we have trouble using our eyes together with all the near-visual stress from screens,” he tells me. “Very often we develop this rivalry over which eye to use, so you end up using different aspects of eyes more than others. Had you not covered your eyes and gone through those exercises, you probably wouldn’t have known that there was any difference between each eye.”
The practices themselves are pretty straightforward and easy to follow. For example, one day I was tasked with visual “push-ups,” where I had to focus on one point in the distance and one point up close. With one eye covered at a time, I focused on each point for 10 seconds until they became clear.
You don’t need any special equipment, either; some exercises do require tools like a pencil, eye patch, or dry erase marker, but you can easily make do with what you already have at home. (Instead of a patch, I used a headband.)
As for the best time of day to complete each exercise, it depends on your own motivation. It’s just like going to the gym: Some folks prefer an early morning workout, while others love an after work sweat. According to Appelbaum, “Going through these activities after an eight to 10 hour workday staring at a screen can make it more challenging,” but there is some benefit to giving your eyes a good stretch when they need it most.
“For most people doing ScreenFit, we’d recommend doing it in the morning before they start their day,” Appelbaum adds. I switched off between morning and evening “workouts,” and I could definitely see the benefits to both: Morning exercises helped me approach the day with more clarity, while a post-work practice helped me eliminate the blur from staring at my laptop.
[ad_2]
Jamie Schneider
Source link
[ad_1]
What is the function of lutein and these other carotenoids in this portion of the retina? “Lutein helps to protect the macula by absorbing undesirable wavelengths of blue light and stopping them from reaching certain layers of the retina, reducing the likelihood of photo-oxidative stress,”* says optometrist Kelsea Brown, O.D. Hence: Internal sunglasses.
Your eyes are constantly working very hard and using a lot of energy, making them more susceptible to oxidative stress from extended screen time and other environmental factors.
All of this talk of supporting your eye health might have you asking a specific question: Can lutein enhance your eyesight? Brown offers her insight: “It does not directly function in the process of eyesight; however, it protects the macula and retina with its antioxidant properties.”*
According to the 2018 Nutrients review, lutein has several positive effects1 on the eye—including increasing macular pigment optical density (MPOD) levels, enhancing visual acuity3 (the ability to distinguish shapes and details of objects at a distance), and bolstering contrast sensitivity4 (the ability to see the outlines of objects).*
The review states, “through all these mechanism(s), it is quite conceivable that [lutein] may exert a pivotal role in regulating immune pathways, modulating inflammatory responses, and combating oxidative [stress].”* In other words? It’s kind of a big deal.
According to a Clinics in Dermatology review, lutein’s function in the eye also sheds light (no pun intended) on why it’s also found in the skin5—to protect against light.*
And by the way, lutein might help your sleep health as well: A 2017 Foods study found supplementation with macular carotenoids was associated with enhanced sleep quality6, potentially due to the same mechanisms that support the carotenoids’ ability to protect the eyes from blue light.*
[ad_2]
Josey Murray
Source link
[ad_1]
Jan. 17, 2023 – Two years ago, Benjamin Wilbur had LASIK surgery to correct his vision. “I have three youngish kids, and I felt I was constantly being hit in the face and my glasses were being knocked askew,” he says. He also didn’t like having “foggy” glasses when wearing a mask during the pandemic.
After a 10-minute consultation with an ophthalmologist, Wilbur, 37, a New Jersey-based pharmacy investigator, was deemed to be a good candidate. He had dryness in his eyes for a few weeks after the procedure, which he treated with artificial tears. Within 6 weeks, he no longer needed them.
“I was able to drive within 24 hours, and my eyesight was fine,” he says. “I’ve gone back for regular checkups and had my last one 3 months ago – I had 20/15 vision.”
Wilbur is pleased with the results. “I wish I had done it sooner,” he says.
LASIK, which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, is designed to permanently alter the shape of the cornea (the clear covering of the front of the eye) using a particular type of laser technology. LASIK is extremely popular, with upward of 500,000 U.S. adults having the procedure. But the FDA has recently begun to shine a light on its risks.
And while most LASIK patients have experiences like Wilbur’s, the FDA last year released draft guidance for recommendations that doctors warn patients of the risks. The agency invited input from patients and doctors and has yet to issue a final report. The proposed guidance pushes for warnings about double vision, dry eyes, ongoing pain, and other issues. It even says people might still need eyeglasses after the surgery.
Lorrie Shank Tevebaugh, a Texas-based 53-year-old who works in HR, is a former LASIK patient who is among those who had a bad LASIK experience. Tevebaugh decided to have the surgery because she is an “avid hiker and runner and spends a lot of time on a boat” and wanted to do these activities without glasses.
She went to a reputable ophthalmologist and was told she was a good candidate for LASIK. “The procedure itself went smoothly,” she says.
But her vision remained blurred the next day, and she started to have eye pain. At her 24-hour postsurgical visit, she was assured that her eyes would continue to improve during the next 3 days. Instead, her vision continued to worsen.
By the following week, she couldn’t see anything other than shapes and colors. One of her eyes was swollen shut, and she was in pain. She was diagnosed with central toxic keratopathy, a rare complication.
Almost a year after the surgery, Tevebaugh still struggles with the damage. Her cornea has flattened. She wears special contact lenses that require a specialized liquid solution plus bifocal glasses. She regrets doing the procedure. “Had I heard of this ahead of time, I wouldn’t have done it.”
The FDA Impact
According to Peter Hersh, MD, director of the Cornea and Laser Eye Institute – Hersh Vision Group, in Teaneck, NJ, most people don’t have lasting side effects and do very well with the surgery.
“There has been an enormous amount of progress in technology since the first days of LASIK,” he says. “I’m concerned that [the FDA’s guidance] might have been based on old data with very little current peer-reviewed literature supporting it and that it shows lack of balance.”
For example, something not mentioned by the FDA is the more sophisticated technologies that have replaced the simple programs that were used in the past, says Hersh, who was a lead author of the clinical study that led to the very first FDA approval of laser therapy in the treatment of nearsightedness in the United States in 1995.
How Does LASIK Work?
There are different types of laser procedures.
“In LASIK, the first step is to create a flap using a device called a microkeratome and then a laser to reshape the cornea, which is like the clear dome of a watch. After that, the flap is replaced and the patient takes antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications,” says Hersh.
In another procedure, PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), the surface layer of the cornea (epithelium) is removed, like removing tiles from the floor, Hersh explains. It’s done directly on the surface of the cornea. And after that, “a therapeutic contact lens (a kind of bandage) is placed over the cornea to support the surface healing of epithelial cells and give greater comfort.”
Occasionally, the SMILE (small incision lenticule extraction) technique might be used. This involves reshaping the cornea by removing a lenticule (small lens) from the central corneal layer.
“Nowadays, about 75% of procedures are LASIK and about 25% are PRK, depending on what’s best for the patient,” says Hersh, a clinical professor of ophthalmology and director of the Cornea and Refractive Surgery Division at Rutgers Medical School.
Data from the patient’s exam is programmed into the laser, so the procedure is highly personalized – representing a great advance over the programs that were used to guide the procedure decades ago.
Who’s a Good Candidate?
According to Hersh, people who might benefit the most from LASIK are:
“Some of the things we look for are making sure the cornea is smooth, with no pathology, scarring or infection, and making sure the person does not have severe dry eye,” he says. He also looks at the patient’s family history to see if there are other health problems that might come up.
Daniel Laroche, MD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, says people with certain immune diseases, diabetes, eye conditions (like glaucoma or cataracts), or other health conditions may not be good candidates for LASIK.
Your ophthalmologist should have a complete picture of your overall health, he advises.
Risks and Side Effects
Side effects of LASIK include red eyes, blurred vision, dry eyes, and sometimes even reduced vision, says Laroche. “The vast majority of people – around 95% – do well, but about 1% to 5% have complications,” mostly short-term but sometimes long-term.
Longer-term complications include the chance that the flap created during LASIK might not heal properly, and the possible loss of corneal strength, Laroche says. And having had LASIK might complicate cataract surgery if you need it in the future.
Laroche, also director of glaucoma services and president of Advanced Eyecare of New York, no longer performs LASIK, concentrating mostly on glaucoma treatment, including surgery. He warned that having LASIK can “give artificially low pressure readings” during eye exams.
Since high pressure in the eye is an important warning sign for glaucoma (an eye condition that can cause vision loss or blindness), it’s critical to let ophthalmologists know that you’ve had LASIK. “I’ve had patients go blind from glaucoma because the diagnosis was missed,” he says.
Hersh notes that in a small percentage of people, vision doesn’t improve as much as they would like after the surgery, so they may need to have another treatment, typically 3 to 6 months later to “tune it up, so to speak, to bring it from the 6-yard line to the 3-yard line.”
Dry eye and irritation tend to get better over time in most patients, although a handful go on to longer-term dry eye, Hersh notes. Typically, visual effects like glare, halo, and trouble with night driving ease soon after the procedure; indeed, many patients have better vision at night than they did with their glasses or contact lenses. And LASIK won’t prevent the need for reading glasses.
“It’s important to have realistic expectations,” he says.
Hersh and Laroche emphasize that your best chance for successful LASIK is in going to an ophthalmologist who specializes in these kinds of procedures, does thorough and appropriate testing, and goes through a proper informed consent process so you know the risks and benefits of the procedure and what to expect.
[ad_2]