Disappearing Eyebrows
When the outer third of your eyebrow starts to disappear on its own, this is a common sign of thyroid disease, namely hypothyroidism.
A Stye That Won’t Go Away
If it doesn’t clear up in three months, or keeps recurring in the same location, it could be a rare cancer called sebaceous gland carcinoma. (1)
Burning Eyes, Blurry Vision While Using A Computer
This is the result of “computer vision syndrome” (CVS). The eyestrain is partly caused by the lack of contrast on a computer screen, and the extra work involved in focusing on pixels.
A Small Blind Spot in Your Vision, With Shimmering Lights or A Wavy Line
A migraine aura produces this disturbed vision. It may or may not be accompanied by a headache.
Whites of The Eye Turned Yellowish
This is known as jaundice. It appears in either new-borns with immature liver function, or adults with problems of the liver, gallbladder, or bile ducts. (2)
Eyes That Seem to Bulge
The most common cause of protruding eyes is hyperthyroidism, which is overactivity of the thyroid gland.
Sudden Double Vision, Dim Vision, or Loss of Vision
These are the visual warning signs of stroke.
Blurred Vision in a Diabetic
Diabetics are at increased risk for several eye problems, but the most common is diabetic retinopathy, in which diabetes affects the circulatory system of the eye. It’s the leading cause of blindness in American adults.
Your eyesight is one of your most precious senses but it’s easy to take the gift of sight for granted, until it starts to fail. Unfortunately, one of the leading causes of blindness in American adults is a side effect of diabetes. This is disconcerting when you consider that today, nearly 1 in 4 Americans are either pre-diabetic or diabetic.
The increased use of computers and video display terminals (VDTs) at home and work has also led to an increase in vision problems due to eye strain. (3)
Iridology—Your Eyes as the Mirrors of Your Health?
The Yahoo Health article above brings up several interesting correlations between your eyes and your overall health by hinting at potential underlying health problems. Iridology, or iridodiagnosis, which is the study of the iris of your eye, is yet another technique in that same vein, used by some alternative health practitioners.
This theory goes back to the mid-17th Century, but iridology has yet to be recognized by mainstream medicine. In fact, the majority of medical professionals scoff at the idea.
The basic theory behind this technique is that various characteristics, such as patterns and colors, in specific zones of your iris can provide information about your systemic health. This is done by carefully examining your iris and matching it to iris charts. Using these charts, an iridologist can help identify systems and organs in your body that may be inflamed, or over- or underactive. It cannot, however, diagnose specific diseases—all it can do, at best, is give an indication of your systemic strengths or weaknesses.
Antioxidants—Your Greatest Allies for Healthy Eyes
The job of an antioxidant compound is to neutralize dangerous free radicals in your body, including your eyes. A few of the antioxidants that have been shown to be of particular benefit to your eyes include:
- Lutein
- Zeaxanthin
- Black currant anthocyanins
- Astaxanthin
Here, I will discuss lutein and astaxanthin in particular as they are potent allies in the prevention of eye problems. (7)
Lutein Aids in the Protection of Your Central Vision
Macula lutea contain high concentrations of zeaxanthin and lutein.
It is believed that they have 2 important roles, and they are absorption of excess photon energy, and quenching free-radicals in the body before damaging the lipid membranes.
The miniature central part of the retina, called macula, is responsible for detailed and straight-ahead vision.
It contains the highest amount of lutein in our eyes.
In other words, lutein helps in the protection of out central vision.
This naturally occurring carotenoid can be found in orange and yellow fruits and veggies, as well as in green leafy veggies.
Foods and Their Lutein Content
Astaxanthin Protects Against 2 Leading Forms of Blindness
Lutein and zeaxanthin are very beneficial for our eyes, but science now reveals that the best carotenoid for the health of our eyes, and prevention of blindness is astaxanthin.
Astaxanthin is much more potent antioxidant that both zeaxanthin and lutein, and it has been discovered that provides protection from the following vision problems:
- Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
- Cataracts
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Retinal arterial occlusion
- Glaucoma
- Cystoid macular edema
- Venous occlusion
- Inflammatory eye diseases (scleritis, retinitis, keratitis, and iritis)
This antioxidant maintains proper eye pressure levels, and supports the visual acuity and energy levels of our eyes. Three of the leading causes of blindness in America are included in the list, and they are diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, and macular degeneration. This makes astaxanthin even more important.
An excellent source of astaxanthin and omega-3 fat is the krill oil, although there are many other astaxanthin supplements on the market ehose specific purpose is supporting the health of eyes.
If you decide to try astaxanthin, our advice is to begin with 2-4 mg a day. Those on a krill oil supplement should know that the concentration of astaxanthin is different in various krill products. Therefore, check the label.
Final Thoughts
The increased number of environmental contaminants and the reduction of the ozone layer expose our eyes to higher oxidation levels and more free radicals than in the past. What’s more, as we age, our body can’t produce the required antioxidant levels needed to counter the assault on our organs and tissues by various contaminants in food and water, pollution, pharmaceutical drugs, household chemicals, and high levels of stress on a daily basis.
Natural Strategies to Help Protect Your Vision
Before we tell you the nutritional factors that can help your vision, we will list several lifestyle strategies that will protect your eyesight as you age.
- Quit Smoking – Your body produces more free radicals if you smoke, which increases your risk of many health conditions, including impaired vision.
- Normalize Your Blood Sugar – If you have excessive blood sugar, it can pull fluid from your eye lens, thus reducing your focusing abilities. It also damages the retinal blood vessels and hinders the blood flow.
- Take Care of Your Cardiovascular System – Hypertension obstructs the free blood flow to the retina, damaging the tiny retinal blood vessels. Avoiding fructose is one of the best ways to maintain optimal blood pressure. The professor of medicine and the chief of the division of renal disease and hypertension at the University of Colorado, Dr. Richard Johnson, has conducted a research according to which 74 grams or more fructose on a daily basis, or two and a half sugary drinks, raises the risk of blood pressure levels of 160/100 mmHg by 77 %.
- Consume Kale and other Dark Green Leafy Vegetables. According to many studies, dark green leafy veggies support the health of eyes. People who consume vegetables rich in carotenoids, especially zeaxanthin and lutein, have improved vision health.
- Plenty of Healthy Omega-3 Fat. August 2001 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology discovered that omega-3 fatty acids have protective effects on our vision. However, because of the widespread fish farming and pollution, fish can’t be considered as the perfect source for omega-3 fats, unless its purity can be verified. The best alternative is krill oil, which includes astaxanthin in its content. This powerful antioxidant provides many health benefits for our eyes.
- Avoid Trans Fats. Increased intake of trans fats interferes with omega-3 fats in the body, thus contributing to macular degeneration. In order to protect your vision, avoid the following processed foods and baked good since they include trans fats in their content: fried foods like French fries, margarine, fried chicken and doughnuts, pastries, cookies, shortening, and crackers.
- Avoid aspartame. Aspartame poisoning can cause vision problems.