Zeaxanthin and lutein for eye health
As a well-known carotenoid, zeaxanthin can be found in the macula, usually accompanied by lutein. In fact, lutein is believed to be less effective without zeaxanthin. Some daily foods contain plentiful of these two nutrients.
Zeaxanthin and lutein can fight off the free radicals caused by harmful rays and medications. The common eye disease age-related macular degeneration is exactly caused by these harmful radicals.
The two nutrients always appear together because they are cooperative. Zeaxanthin can repair and protect the cones in the macula and lutein ensures the well being of the rods which constitute the periphery of the retina. In addition, rods and cones work together and ensure good eyesight. In this case, eyesight may deteriorate if one of the two nutrients goes bad.
Zeaxanthin can be easily found in corn, pepper, saffron as well as other plants. And saffron maintains its characteristic taste and aroma through zeaxanthin. In addition, green leafy vegetables also contain plentiful of zeaxanthin and lutein, so that ordinary people are highly encouraged to eat a diet rich in green vegetables.
Studies show that natural sources of zeaxanthin are always better than those supplement pills. But zeaxanthin and lutein from these natural sources need a long period to build up vital reserves. In an emergency situation, supplements containing zeaxanthin and lutein can offer immediate help. What’s more, some people do not eat healthy foods. For those individuals, supplement pills are especially needed.
Most nutrient experts set the dosage of each zeaxanthin and lutein at about 24 mg each day. With proper dosage, central vision and color perception can be improved.
There are still other nutrients that are indicated to improve eye health, such as vitamin B12 and B2, I-carnosine, anthocyanins, beta-carotene and glucosamine.
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·A Balanced Diet is Essential for Good Eyesight
·Lutein and zeaxanthin for healthy eyes
Natural mixed carotenoids for eye health
A study that measured blood serum levels of various antioxidants was conducted by Japanese researchers. It is commonly known that lutein is only one element in the carotenoid family. This study aimed to evaluate which one or ones were most critical in fighting against macular degeneration. The basic method of the study was to compare blood levels of one group who had AMD and another group who did not have AMD.
Macular degeneration mainly comes in two forms. This disease can lead to serious conditions when it advances. But one point is clear that AMD mostly occurs in old people. The study found that antioxidants levels had no direct relation with macular degeneration in young people. The disease in young individuals is probably caused by generics. It is age-related macular degeneration that is closely associated with antioxidant levels.
In addition to lutein, there are many other antioxidants including tocopherol, retinol, beta-cryptoxanthin, alpha and beta carotene, lycopene and zeaxanthin. Lutein has been widely advocated to be beneficial to the eyes. But this study found that only the blood levels of total carotenoids that mattered, rather than the blood level of single lutein. The result showed that the group with AMD had low blood level of total carotenoids.
Actually, other beneficial antioxidants should also be included. And these antioxidants should be taken in different amounts. The mixed amount suggested by experts is 5000IU per day. Lutein does nothing harmful to the health of the body. But lutein alone can not be enough.
One disappointing fact is that many nutrient supplements sold on the market are synthetic. These antioxidants contained in some supplements are not natural ingredients. Antioxidants used by various studies are natural ones. Researchers usually use spinach as a great source of mixed carotenoids. Some other plants and vegetables are also good sources of natural nutrients. On the market, there are all natural multi-nutritional supplements that can be good alternative.
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·AMD treatments that are under trials and researches
Five factors associated with eye health
The eye is one of the most important organs of human body. And it is quite critical to take good care of the eyes. Yet there are several top risks that threaten eye health.
Diabetes is always accompanied by high sugar levels, which may damage the blood vessels of the body, especially those in the eyes. Studies have found that excess amounts of blood sugar caused by diabetes can significantly increase the risk of several eye diseases, including cataracts, blood leakage in the retina, macular edema, macular degeneration, and glaucoma as well as eye infections. Associated with so many possible diseases, diabetes has become a top cause of blindness among US citizens.
Natural aging is inevitable in everyone. Vision loss at different degrees is quite common among old people, especially in those above 50. Vision loss caused by natural aging is always gradual and not noticeable. Yet there are still other health conditions that indirectly or directly affect eyesight in older individuals. Those factors include uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, cataracts, AMD, retinal tears and detachment, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy as well as presbyopia.
There is a great population of smokers in the world. Unfortunately, most people are not aware of the deleterious effects of smoking on the eyes. Smoking has been thought to increase the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts. This bad habit influences eye health by affecting oxygen level in the ocular tissues. Smoking makes a smoker’s heart to work harder and raise blood pressure, which becomes less efficient in delivering sufficient oxygen to the eyes.
High blood pressure in the eyes can lead to small leaks and clots. Blood leakage in surrounding eye tissues usually affects focus ability. And clots in the eye consume precious oxygen and even cause vision loss. Contributors of high blood pressure include heart disease, diabetes, and unresolved renal disease.
Nutrition also plays an important role in maintaining good eye health. People should regularly consume beneficial nutrients such as anti-oxidants including vitamin A, C and E as well as healthy fats such as omega-3 acids. A lifelong unhealthy diet can speed up aging process.
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Eye exams are crucial for the health of eyes
Regular comprehensive eye exams are crucial for both adults and children to maintain eye health. An eye exam can help adults not only formulate and update their eyewear prescription, but also search for any sign of common eye diseases. For children, eye exams are even more important since vision is so closely related to their study. If they have poor vision or image interpretation, they are most likely to have a poor performance in their study. Parents should take children to a related professional doctor for an eye examination as soon as they get a reading or learning difficulty, in order to find out the potential vision root.
Eyewear prescription is just a small portion of an eye exam. Its more significant role is to detect initial signs of eye diseases, preventing them from developing into more severe vision problems. The following two paragraphs is a description of some items for detection.
The first eye condition is refraction error, including myopia, hyperopic and astigmatism, all of which can be corrected using eyewear or refractive surgery. The second item that may be examined is amblyopia, which refers to the uneven development of the two eyes. Once found, amblyopia can be treated by covering the disabled eye, otherwise it will lead to permanent vision loss. A third search may be given to strabismus, which is also known as crossed or turned eyes in brief. People with this disease may have an unperfect eyes alignment, which may affect their depth perception and lead to amblyopia. Properly aligned eyes do not mean healthy eyes. So, the forth item may be teaming problems of the eyes. Signs of uncoordinated eyes (also named binocular vision problems) include headaches and eyestrain. An eye doctor should also pay attention to eye focusing problems during an eye exam. These problems may bother both children (resulted from incomplete focusing skills development) and aged people due natural decline, such as presbyopia.
Another part of examination items is related to more severe eye diseases. Early detection and subsequent treatment of eye diseases are essential to minimize the risk of lifelong vision impairment. Diabetic eye diseases are common and probably cause small blood vessel leaks or bleeding eye and macula swelling. Other eye diseases or health problems include glaucoma, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and so on. During eye exams, your doctor may check signs of these diseases using instruments or just by staring at your eye’s blood vessels and retina.
Vision screenings can never get the same effects from complete eye exams. A vision screening may test blur, muscle coordination and common eye diseases. These brief tests can only perform as an indicator for further eye exam, rather than replacing it. A driver’s license renewal just requires such a vision screening. Vision screenings can be conducted simply by school nurses, pediatricians, health care providers and volunteers. In contrast, a complete eye exam including all vision aspects testing must be carried out by an eye doctor, rather than incompetent family physicians and pediatricians. Only professional doctors can ensure all testing items and work out a proper personal treatment plan on the basis of the exam results.
If your doctor can not determine you eye problems, you may need to take a second exam after a period of time. For assured problems, a subsequent treatment plan will be made. Your eye doctor will prescribe different solutions for different eye problems. Corrective eyewear is commonly used for refractive errors. Binocular vision problems always require a vision therapy or strabismus surgery. For vision health maintenance or dry eyes relief, eye vitamins or vision nurture may be the right choice.
Two types of essential fatty acids
Excessive fat is always associated with obesity, but normal level of fat is essential to our health. Proper kinds and mount of fats help maintain our body’s function and overall health including eyes. Fatty acids are indispensable in forming fats. These nutrients help in the normal production and functioning of cells, muscles, nerves and organs as well as the regulation of blood pressure, heart rate and blood clotting. Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids are two types of essential fatty acids, which can only acquired from external foods. The human body can not produce these essential fatty acids.
Plenty of studies focus on the role of omega-3 fatty acids in affecting eye health. Deficiencies of omega-3 have been linked to some eye problems such as impaired vision, retina damage and high intraocular pressure. In contrast, high consumption of foods plentiful in omega-3 is suggested to reduce the risk of several vision problems. For instance, eating two servings of fish or more every week can significantly reduce the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
Foods rich in omega-3 also play a key role in dry eye syndrome (DES) prevention among women. Women taking the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids have a much lower rate of DES than those containing the lowest level of omega-3 fatty acids. Tuna is particularly effective in protecting against DES in women.
The balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is especially important, since improper ratios may lead to harmful effects. A 15:1 ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 can bring 2.5 times increased risk of DES in women. Other healthy problems associated with imbalance of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids include heart disease, cancer, asthma, arthritis and depression.