Macular Degeneration Supplements

Question: Astigmatism and macular degeneration uggh? in my left eye. What can I eat, drink or take (supplements) to decrease further damage? I already eat carrots and take bilberry pills.

Answer: well... astigmatism & macular degeneration are unrelated to each other. neither carrots nor bilberry probably help either your astigmatism or your mac degen. ocuvite is thought to possibly help in cases of dry mac degen: http://www.bausch.com/en_US/consumer/visioncare/product/vitamins/ocuvite_adult.aspx glasses/contacts/lasik for the astigmatism. no "supplement" will help that

Question: I was told I have Macular Degeneration and I'm only 24.? Is this normal at this age? I don't want to go blind.. What supplements should I be taking? I have started taking Lutein and Acai berry antioxidant supplements.. And also my multivitamins faithfully now. This just doesnt seem normal to me to have it at this age.. obviously I didnt ask my doctor all the questions I was supposed to.. I wasn't expecting to hear I had this.. I never even heard of it till now..

Answer: Get a 2nd opinion.

Question: Does anyone know how to resolve trouble with a problem home health aide? I have a home health aide who is supposed to be taking care of my 90 year old father, who suffers from two strokes, high blood pressure, prostate trouble and over active bladder, macular degeneration, high cholestrol, poor hygiene, and many other medical problems. He could barely walk, and takes many prescription medications and supplements. The duties of the home health aide are to cook, clean (make sure the apartment is liveable and does not smell bad), assist my dad with shower and bath, make sure he wears clean clothes every day (he has very poor hygiene and tends to urinate on himself and as a result he smells worse than a sewer if someone is not there to help him with clean clothes), make sure he eats his three meals daily, accompany him downstairs to pick up his mail, accompany him to his appointments, accompany him to his doctor appointments, keep his appointments in order, assist with his medications, order refills and pick them up. The trouble is this home health aide first of all, comes over, parks herself in a chair, watches tv all day, and plays with my computer. She doesn't clean and leaves the place a disaster, she only spends money to buy my father sandwiches, she won't cook. She takes too many days off, and clocks in and goes home and then clocks out and leaves. She never followed through with any of her responsibilities, and my father smells really horrible and has been in the same dirty clothes for weeks. I end up doing all the cleaning when this is what she is supposed to be getting paid for, as well as the other stuff she never does. My father doesn't want me to get rid of her, because he likes her, but I am fed up and disgusted. These agencies in the area where my dad lives all stink on ice. The workers are all horrible, and everyone of them are unreliable and incompetent (even though they are supposed to be trained professionals). I cannot take care of my father, that is why I got a home health aide for him. I work and my schedule is very, very busy, and I have barely any time as it is. I do not want to put my father away in a nursing home, but if I do not find a competent, reliable, responsible worker, I do not know what to do anymore. Also, I tried over and over again speaking with the worker about what she has been doing, as well as continuously reporting the matter to the home health care agency, and nothing is ever done about it. The case worker is worthless, and all of the louzy help in this agency all stink!!!! I have tried other agencies, and they are just as horrible or worse. Please someone, help!!!! Thank you.

Answer: You don't have many options unless you want to pay for someone out of your pocket or find a nice assisted living arrangement.

Question: Eye Health Concerns (Professional Assistance Preferred)? Hello, I have a few questions...I'd prefer advice from an optician or other eye professional or someone who's been using glasses/contacts for a long time. This got a little long. 1. My job requires me to use a computer for long amounts of time and I'm frequently on the computer at home, sometimes late into the night. I'm a heavy computer user. I've read that heavy computer users are at higher risk for eye conditions like myopia and glaucoma and that this harms how well you can see far away because it's a close-focus and high eye stress activity. I blink and look away from time to time when my eyes feel dry or stressed, but when I look in the mirror, I can see red vessels that are present only after computer use. What do those mean? I'm thinking it's just eye strain but I'd rather be sure. I guess the sum of my question is "Does heavy computer use harm your eyes?" 2. I wear glasses. Without them words of this size on a computer screen get blurry when it's more than 1-1.5 feet away from me. I tend to get closer to the computer, but I suspect that would only make it worse...if I keep doing this and other close-focus activities such as reading small print, will my eyeglass prescription eventually become stronger? Before I started wearing glasses, my vision wasn't perfect (obviously), but I recall being able to make things out better. Now, it seems that my vision has worsened. I wonder if this is why. 3. Eye improvement...I've been looking into vision exercises that claim to improve sight...I've done a few of them and they seemed to improve my eyes' focus for a short period of time but I haven't faithfully committed to these so I can't speak for them. In the opinion of an eye professional, can these help improve vision over time? I've also been wondering about eye care supplements with lutein (e.g. I-Caps). Some friends of mine had pills like these suggested by their doctors. I don't have any serious problems like glaucoma or macular degeneration...since I don't have any problems with my eye (that I know of), will these have any preventative effect for me? Could they improve my vision? I'm not looking for any "magic cure", just something to help out. 4. This one's for my daughter...she doesn't need corrective glasses, but wants to wear this special type of contact lens. I think they're called "circle lenses" or "big eye lenses" or something for cosmetic enhancement. I've looked into allowing this. They appear to be only available online. I have some doubts about the websites I've seen as a) none of them look even remotely professional, b) they're manufactured in Korea, Japan, etc. and I don't know about their safety and sanitation standards and c) I don't know if the material they use is the same used in the U.S...they look like soft lenses, but I've read that they're worse for your eye sight either because of the material they use or its larger diameter, depriving the eye of more oxygen? They run for about $30-$40 for contacts that will last a whole year or two. I'm doubting these, but if there are any safe suppliers of a similar FDA-approved version from the U.S., or whether we should just skip these all together. Her eye sight is not worth a weird eye :/ But I have read from some people who use them that they're just like other soft lenses, which is why I'm unsure. 5. And a sort of random but related question - can you sleep in RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) lenses? Do you just leave them on and not remove them or do they need to be taken off like soft lenses or are they worn continually until they're due to expire? P.S. - I can't afford LASIK.

Answer: Ok, Here we go. Question 1: Red vessels in the eye can be part of eye strain but more likely they are a sign of dry eye. Many times we get so intense on the computer that we forget to blink and even though you say you blink, you may not be blinking enough. Make sure you blink and look away from the screen every so often and that should clear up. This answer is also going to come into play later down the line here. Question 2: No. Working on a computer with glasses is not going to make your eyesight worse as long as the Rx in the glasses is ok for you. If you start to notice blurriness where you didn't used to, then your Rx may need to be updated. Eyesight getting worse as we age is a normal process. Question 3: Short answer - They're bunk. If they were ok, every optometrist and ophthalmologist would do them. I know of no one that recommends them. Don't waste your time or money. Lutein is found in the macula and some suggest that it may help somewhat protect from macular degeneration. My doctor recommends it as long as it is in moderation and not mega doses. 5 - 10 mg is sufficient. Question 4: Circle lenses are not FDA approved and are not made to FDA standards. They may contain impurities that could cause serious eye infection which could lead to blindness. Stay away from them until they are FDA approved. The reason you can only get them online is because they are not FDA approved and no optometrist is going to dispense them. Question 5: No, you cannot sleep in RGP's. You must remove them every night to allow oxygen to reach the cornea. If you don't, then the body will realize the cornea isn't getting enough oxygen and it will grow blood vessels into the cornea in order to provide more oxygen but when this happens, the extra vessels will begin to block your sight and you are then into the need for surgery to correct the condition. You can also develop a corneal ulcer and believe me, once a person experiences a corneal ulcer, they wake up to the fact that they must follow the eye doctors instructions on how to wear lenses properly and take care of their eyes. Hope this has helped.

Question: where can I find out about diet/diet supplements for macular degeneration? My husband is 65 and just found to have this..what should we know/or do to slow this progression?

Answer: You can stop this in its tracks. Genentec came up with a drug which is injected into the eye that causes the blood vessels to go back to a almost normal size. . thus preserving eyesight. A 79 yr. old friend had this done and her eyesight has been maintained. Go to a eye doctor and get referal. It is out of the trial stage aand available on the open market. Who is LUCENTIS for? LUCENTIS® (ranibizumab injection) is a prescription medicine for the treatment of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). What important safety information should I know about LUCENTIS? Like any prescription medication, LUCENTIS is not for everyone. You should not use LUCENTIS if you have an infection in or around the eye. Like other injections given into the eye, serious eye infection (endophthalmitis) and detached retina have occurred with LUCENTIS. Increases in eye pressure have been seen within 1 hour of an injection. Your eye doctor should monitor your eye pressure and eye health during the week after the injection. If your eye becomes red, sensitive to light, painful, or has a change in vision, you should seek immediate care from your eye doctor. Although uncommon, conditions associated with eye- and non-eye-related blood clots (arterial thromboembolic events) may occur. Serious side effects related to the injection procedure were rare. These included serious eye infection, detached retina, and cataract. Other uncommon serious side effects included inflammation inside the eye and increased eye pressure. The most common eye-related side effects were red eye, eye pain, small specks in vision, the feeling that something is in your eye, and increased tears. The most common non-eye-related side effects were nose and throat infection, headache, and respiratory and urinary tract infections. LUCENTIS is for prescription use only. Individual results with LUCENTIS may vary. Hope this helps your husband. Eyesight is precious>