Neither vitamin E nor beta-carotene supplements prevented or delayed the onset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and the same is probably true for both vitamin C and the widely used multivitamin Centrum Sliver, authors of two systematic reviews concluded.
However, for patients with early AMD, taking an antioxidant or a zinc supplement may slow disease progression to late AMD and may retard vision loss, the same reviewers concluded. Moreover, no evidence suggests that lutein, alone or in combination with zeaxanthin, prevents or delays onset of AMD. Additionally, little evidence supports a role for lutein, zeaxanthin or vitamin E in modifying disease progression to late AMD or slowing vision loss, Jennifer Evans, PhD, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and John Lawrenson, PhD, City University of London, reported in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Orange County Register: California Doctor Figures Out Way To Stop Alzheimer's Progression
Like his father before him and millions of others, Ted Esau's brain started to deteriorate in his late-50s. Plaque was building up. Part of his brain was starting to shrink. Although invisible to everyone including himself, the first stages of Alzheimer's disease were beginning to take hold. But following a program of healthy eating, exercise, Food and Drug Administration-approved medication and monitoring, Esau is a relatively new phenomenon in the annals of Alzheimer's — someone who is attacking the disease before it takes away memory and is seeing a halt in the disease's progression. (Whiting, 5/19) "Begin taking supplements containing Vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, available commercially and over the counter. If you are a smoker, consult your eye doctor first as some of these supplements can actually cause lung cancer." Dr. Gregory McFarland, OD (updated 07/19/2018). International Agency for Research on Cancer Beatrice Lauby-Secretan, lead author of this article and an IARC scientist responsible for the agency’s Handbooks of Cancer Prevention Series. The IARC is part of the World Health Organization. A working group of 21 independent international cancer experts reviewed more than 1,000 studies on cancer risk and excess body fat published since the IARC’s 2002 report. That evaluation identified that preventing weight gain can reduce the risk of colon and rectum cancer; a stomach cancer called esophagus adenocarcinoma; kidney or renal cell carcinoma; postmenopausal breast cancer and cancer in the endometrium of the uterus. This year’s reassessment added to this list gastric cancer, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, ovary and thyroid cancers as well as the blood cancer multiple myeloma and meningioma — cancer that affects the tissue surrounding the brain and spine. The risks are highest for corpus uteri, a cancer in the uterus, and esophagus adenocarcinoma. “The number of cancers that are linked to obesity has increased a lot, which means a much higher proportion of cancer that occurs today is due to obesity,” Lauby-Secretan said. Public health messages should be tailored to raising awareness about this fact, she added. There is "strong evidence" that alcohol causes seven cancers, and other evidence indicates that it "probably" causes more, according to a new literature review published online July 21 in Addiction.
Epidemiologic evidence supports a causal association of alcohol consumption and cancers of the oropharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colon, rectum, and female breast, says Jennie Connor, MB, ChB, MPH, from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, University of Otago, in Dunegin, New Zealand. In short, alcohol causes cancer. .In an effort to overcome issues with noncompliance, a new study evaluated the efficacy of transzonular vitreous injection compared with standard topical therapy after cataract surgery and found outcomes between the two methods to be similar. These study findings were published online July 18 in Clinical Ophthalmology.
"The results in the current study suggest that patients receiving the combination drops in one eye and a one-time intraocular injection in the other eye had similar satisfaction and outcomes, though more patients preferred the injection to the drops," write Bret L. Fisher, MD, from the Eye Center of North Florida, Panama City, and colleagues. These results will be much anticipated, as post operative drops, usually three different types, (an antibiotic, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, and a steroid), can be quite costly to patients. Big Pharma won't like these results published because of the likelihood the injection will be the most preferred method used by surgeons due to noncompliance with the post operative drops regimen. The computerized training is designed to increase the speed at which the brain picks up and processes cues in a person's field of vision.
Los Angeles Times: Brain Training May Forestall Dementia Onset For Years, New Study Says If you're intent on keeping dementia at bay, new research suggests you'll need more than crossword puzzles, aerobic exercise and an active social life. Researchers found that older adults who did exercises to shore up the speed at which they processed visual information could cut by nearly half their likelihood of cognitive decline or dementia over a 10-year period. The new clinical trial results, presented Sunday at the Alzheimer's Assn.'s International Conference in Toronto, establish specialized brain training as a potentially powerful strategy to prevent Alzheimer's Disease and other afflictions, including normal aging, that sap memory and reduce function. (Healy, 7/24) The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved lifitegrast ophthalmic solution (Xiidra, Shire) for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
Dry eye disease affects roughly 5% of adults aged 30 to 40 years and 10% to 15% of those older than 65 years. It is more common in women. Severe, untreated dry eye can lead to pain, ulcers, or corneal scarring. The most common adverse reactions reported in 5% to 25% of patients were instillation site irritation, altered taste sensation (dysgeusia), and reduced visual acuity. |
This blog post is contributed by:Dr. Gregory McFarland, OD Archives
July 2019
Categories |