Macular Degeneration Treatment Tips

The MD Foundation are encouraging people to have their eyes checked, learn about foods that are beneficial to vision, and consider an eye-health supplement.

According to their surveys, 37% of people surveyed are unaware of "the important role nutrition and diet can play in promoting good eye health".

If you’re not sure which foods are good for your eyes, and which are not, particularly in relation to the risk of macular degeneration, please look through our posts on this site. You’ll find specific and carefully researched answers to a lot of questions about diet, supplements and AMD, in clear and simple terms. For example, read The AMD Guide to Food for Your Eyes.

Check back to January’s entry on Macular Degeneration: Eye Health Nutrients Revealed, or learn about Macular Vitamins: What to Look for in a Macular Supplement.

“Macular Degeneration MD Awareness Week is an opportunity for all Australians to have their eyes tested (making sure the macula is checked), to understand the symptoms of MD for early detection and to start making simple, everyday dietary and lifestyle changes; the same way they would for heart disease or diabetes", said Corinne Borg and Glen Barker of the MD Foundation.

“Eating a healthy diet that includes the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin as well as omega-3s, controlling weight, exercising regularly and not smoking; will all help reduce the risk of developing MD.”

Charles Bonet  - or Charles Bonnet, as the name is more commonly spelled - first diagnosed the condition by observing his grandfather.

It was the year 1760 when Charles Bonnet, a Swiss naturalist, became concerned when his grandfather reported seeing "amusing and magical visions."  These visions which included carriages, birds, buildings and people were not visible to anyone else.

The visions can last for seconds or most of the day. Usually they are very clear, which often surprises the hallucinator as they have become used to things appearing blurry or obscured by black spots or wavy vision.

Images of people are often experienced during a Charles Bonet syndrome episode but rarely are the people familiar to the perceiver. Other common visual hallucinations include objects morphing into something else, like a staircase changing into a mountain slope. Some of these illusions can make it difficult for the person to move around safely.

Usually as the person’s vision degeneration progresses the CBS or Bonnett syndrome ceases to bother them.

So can Charles Bonet syndrome be treated?

Well, no is the short answer; however you can do something about it. Various methods have been shown to dispel the hallucinations in some people. Tricks like turning off the light or shutting the eyes for a few seconds can help.

One of the most interesting aspects of Charles Bonet syndrome is that it has been long believed that the condition is a rare one. This is now being challenged as more studies are done and the incidence of diseases such as macular degeneration has sharply risen.

Researchers are now aware that rather than CBS being rare it is more a case of it being unreported. Quite justifiably people have been reluctant to admit to visual hallucinations for fear of being diagnosed as insane! This is not so much the case now that there’s more general knowledge and recognition of common causes of such symptoms, without any stigma attached.

Do you want to be sure you choose the best vision supplement, with the most effective and valuable nutrients for your eyes (in the best combination, at optimum levels, from natural sources and of high quality), for the best results?

Macular Vitamins: What to Look for in a Macular Supplement gives you a checklist of ingredients to look for. This is distilled from all the most crucial requirements we identified in our research. Then Macular Degeneration Products: My Own Comparison shares what we found when we went looking for a formula to buy. This explains how we came to choose Visulyn. Now we’ll take a look at Visulyn and what’s so good about it.

The formula and preparation are based on rigorous research, and tested for quality.

The Lutein and Zeaxanthin in Visulyn are of high quality, naturally derived, from marigold (Tagetes erecta), not synthesized. They are also in optimal, therapeutic, high quantities  (5mg Lutein and 10mg Zeaxanthin).

I cannot stress too highly the importance of this. Read our posts on Lutein and Zeaxanthin - they are essential to eye health, and not easily available in high enough quantities from diet. Zeaxanthin is apparently very expensive, and most vitamins for macular degeneration contain none at all, or only token amounts of it and/or lutein. Together, zeaxanthin and lutein work synergistically, giving benefits even greater than each would on its own.

Further specific ocular improvement and antioxidant activity are provided by high dose selenium and Taurine working together with Alpha-Lipoic acid, and grape seed extract.

Visulyn does not contain vits A C E , or zinc and copper. These ingredients are more common and more easily available. We recommend you obtain these and the other important vitamins and minerals (see our posts on eye health nutrients) through diet, and/or a daily multivitamin supplement  which you can then tailor to your individual health needs. In our assessment, Visulyn is more useful than a straight ‘AREDS’ formula which is based on A, C, E, zinc and copper..

Progressive Health chose to focus on eye-specific nutrients, which are more difficult to obtain (and more expensive), to provide you with the highest quality help possible and at the same time keep costs manageable.

Progressive Health provide top quality products. They have some of the most complete formulations you can find.
Their products are easy to order, they arrive quickly, and the company is prompt to respond if you have any query.

I wanted to buy a macular formula myself. Naturally I wanted to find the very best. If you’ve read our ‘About Us’ page, or other posts, you’ll know our story. We’re in Australia, and we have compelling reasons to find answers to the growing problem of macular degeneration, for ourselves, our loved ones, and many other people.

We’d researched and identified the sort of formula we wanted and the ingredients we required (Macular Vitamins: What to Look for in a Macular Supplement).

I looked at everything that was available, including online (which for us is generally the quickest and easiest way to buy in any case). I found quite a number of alternatives. There were supplements made and sold by companies I am familiar with and have a high regard for … but I found myself looking further and further, as none of the products really answered my needs.

What I found in my search of vitamin supplement macular degeneration products:

    •    many choices, large and confusing range of different products
    •    when examined, none of the choices suited our requirements, because:

    •    most contained only a few commonly available vitamins, and no specific macular ingredients
    •    if they contained lutein and/or zeaxanthin, these were in very low doses - from our research, too low to be of real benefit
    •    very few products contained both lutein and zeaxanthin. Most only had a small or token amount of lutein, and no zeaxanthin
    •    to get ingredients we wanted we would have to take many different supplements together (eg one for bilberry, one for lutein, another for selenium etc - but often combined with vitamins A, C, E and omega 3/EPA, or zinc and copper, which would repeat our intake of these nutrients)
    •    many vitamins were synthetic. We are particular about making sure the vitamins we choose are natural, from plant sources etc, not synthesised
    •    we also prefer that they are processed carefully to retain highest quality and integrity
    •    macular products did not contain certain herbs our research had led us to look for
    •    combinations on offer did not seem worth the price, because they were not going to answer our needs
    •    we did find a few very comprehensive products - (one option had a long sales page, testimonials and a high price; it contained a high level of lutein but unfortunately no zeaxanthin) - but with such long lists of ingredients that they didn’t suit what we were looking for. They included doses of common daily vitamins and minerals that, with our dietary intake, would oversupply our needs. They would also give an overdose of betacarotene (any smokers or ex-smokers have to be careful about this)
    •    we think it’s preferable to be able to tailor general vitamin, mineral and antioxidant supplements to individual needs. I myself already have food choices and supplements to support my particular health needs (immune support, CFS) and, personally, I’d rather add one daily supplement that specializes purely in the rarer nutrients for macular health
    •    some more commonly available products were immediately off the list for us because, as well as points above, they contained artificial colors: an absolute no-no for health
   
After a comprehensive product search I found a formula that had been specifically created to answer the needs of macular degeneration.

This product is called Visulyn. It’s provided by a company called Progressive Health, whose products appear to be carefully researched, top quality, naturally sourced, and some of the most complete formulations on the market. We corresponded with the company and were satisfied with their replies and their knowledge and background research.

Visulyn contains all the particular ingredients specific to macular degeneration that we were searching for. What is more, it doesn’t contain the more commonly available daily vitamins we didn’t want in our formula! I’ll talk more about Visulyn in the next post, now I’ve explained how we came to choose it.

We’re very happy with this product, and we’ve had good reports from others taking it regularly. If you want to immediately get all the information on this product, including how you can order it online, click here to look at Visulyn. 

You want a product that will give maximum benefit to your vision and the best real value for price. The first thing to assess is whether it contains the most essential ingredients for the health of the macula in your eyes. So lets look at a checklist of these ingredients.

Your eyes as well as general health require daily intake of vitamins A, B, C and E (and small amounts of D and K), trace elements and minerals. Vitamins A, C, E and zinc and copper are identified in the AREDS research (see ‘AREDS Vitamins Study’). Omega-3 fatty acids are also beneficial for eyesight and general health. (Read our posts on eye health nutrients, antioxidant nutrition, foods, fish oil etc for more information).

Some or all of these ingredients may be included in supplements sold for macular degeneration. However, individual requirements vary according to diet, genetics and other factors. Also, most people are already taking a daily multivitamin supplement, and it’s important not to double up on these basic vitamins.

We have found the best solution is to take a good multivitamin/mineral supplement for overall health, and a separate macular formula with the vision-specific ingredients listed above.

Natural macular treatment, with foods and supplements, is beneficial for your eyes and your sight
* as a treatment or prevention strategy on its own
* to support your eye health during surgery or other medical forms of treatment for macular degeneration.

In this site you’ll learn about the vision-specific nutrients that help eye health - see our ‘Eye Health Nutrients’ posts on Antioxidant Nutrition, Lutein, and Bilberry. Now let’s look at Ginkgo Biloba herb.

Ginkgo Biloba (named from the Japanese ‘yin-kwo’, meaning ’silver fruit’) is in fact the maidenhair tree, native to Japan, China and Korea. It was introduced to Europe in around 1730. Now ginkgo biloba leaf extract is widely used as a medicinal herb throughout the world.

What are bilberry vitamins? What benefits do they have for your eyes and how can they help in macular degeneration treatment? Read this to find out why you’ll want to make sure bilberry is in the supplement you take for your vision.

Bilberry is a plant (vaccinium myrtillus), and its fruit is used in eyesight vitamins.

We picked and ate bilberries when I was growing up in England. We found them growing close to the ground on hillsides - small, round, dark purple-blue edible berries, on plants with small leaves and little pinkish flowers. Bilberries are related to blueberries and huckleberries and many more Vaccinium species.

They have an age-old reputation for improving vision.

Bilberries improve your:

    •    night vision
    •    vision in dim light
    •    sharpness of vision
    •    fine detail work
    •    intense use of eyes, like in daily computer work

How do bilberry vitamins do this? They:

    •    strengthen the retina and support its healthy function
    •    improve the strength and integrity of blood vessels
    •    reduce the risk of damage to the microcirculation of the eye, by protecting blood vessels
    •    improve circulation
    •    contain high levels of antioxidants

It has been claimed that bilberries contain the highest level of antioxidants of any berry.

The blue-purple pigment of bilberries is caused by their high concentration of the bioflavonoid anthocyanin. This is a powerful antioxidant which has a special affinity for your eyes.

Anthocyanins protect body tissues, particularly blood vessels, from oxidizing agents. (See our posts on Antioxidant Nutrition).

History of improved night vision

British pilots in the Royal Air Force during World War II used to eat bilberry jam. They claimed it improved their night vision.

Bilberry vitamins are used to treat eye conditions including night blindness, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts, as well as macular degeneration. Here’s just one example of a study of how bilberry vitamins help in macular degeneration:

Researchers gave bilberry extract to 31 people with various retinal problems including wet macular degeneration. The abnormal capillaries in their eyes became stronger and less likely to leak and cause scarring. (Scharrer, A. et al. "Anthocyanosides in the Treatment of Reinopathies," Klin. Monastabl Augenheilkd (German) (1981) 178:386).

Because bilberry can thin the blood (which is beneficial in many instances) you must be careful if you have any bleeding disorders. Consult your healthcare practitioner if this applies to you.

Lets take a quick look at a couple of these reports in the context of macular degeneration treatments.

The March 4 issue of the ‘Journal of Neuroscience’ carries a study on how the brain changes when its inputs change.

"Neurons seem to ‘want’ to receive input: when their usual input disappears, they start responding to the next best thing,” said Nancy Kanwisher, at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, and senior author of the above study.

This study and others found that when neurons in the visual cortex no longer receive input from central vision, they can start to respond instead to other areas receiving light stimuli.

"If scientists could one day develop technologies to replace the lost light-sensitive cells in the fovea, patients might be able to recover central vision since the neurons there are still alive and well", according to a Newswise press release on this report.

You can read the whole press release at http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/549515/

Another study that appeared in the December issue of ‘Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience’ was run by the Georgia Institute of Technology. It tested how volunteers with macular degeneration made up for their loss of central vision by focusing with other parts of their visual field (known as preferred retinal locations).

The conclusion was that the brain reorganized itself.

This was the first study which directly showed that this ‘brain remapping’ in people with eye degeneration disease related to their own behavior. In other words, the very way in which macular degeneration patients tried to see with areas outside their central vision helped their brains to reorganize. They ‘retrained’ the visual cortex in their brains.

This sounds encouraging. The Georgia Tech research group are now studying how long such a process takes, and whether ‘low-vision training’ can further support it.

Certainly it’s worth exploring these possibilities. There’s more than one way to approach macular degeneration treatments. We keep looking into what’s being developed, as well as continuing with the known improvers of vision: diet and macular vitamins.

A News Center press release on 2/9/09 reported on the studies.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory followed the progress of 29,000 male runners and 12,000 female runners for more than seven years. The studies found that running reduced the risk of both cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

“In addition to obtaining regular eye exams, people can take a more active role in preserving their vision,” said Paul Williams, an epidemiologist in Berkeley Lab’s Life Sciences Division who conducted the research. “The studies suggest that people can perhaps lessen their risk for these diseases by taking part in a fitness regimen that includes vigorous exercise.”

That’s good news for runners, but what about the rest of us?

Williams also said, “We know there are important health benefits to walking, including lowering heart disease risk.” He continued, “It is quite likely that the studies’ results might apply to a lesser extent to smaller doses of more moderate exercise.”

It’s common sense to think that exercise, including walking, may help prevent vision loss along with enhancing our general health. Just as eating fresh fruit and vegetables and taking good nutritional supplements protect our macular health.