Discover the Truth About Cataract Laser Surgery

Constantinus Africanus (AD 1018), a monk and an Arabic oculist introduced the term “cataract”. He translated Arabic “suffusion” into Latin “cataracta,” meaning, “something poured underneath something, the waterfall.”  It was felt that the clouding of vision was do to a film falling like water over the eye. Cataracts are not a film but are a clouding, hardness and loss of elasticity, which occur in the human lens. Cataracts are associated with general arteriosclerotic changes, diabetes, sun exposure, trauma and poor nutrition. It is a fact of life that the longer you live the greater your likelihood of developing a cataract. Over 50% of people over the age of 60 will develop cataracts.

Cataracts: What causes cataracts?

Aging
As a person ages changes in the protein of the lens develop. Oxidative reactions develop which form abnormal disulfide and other covalent linkages. This causes the lens fibers to lose their transparency.

Trauma
Penetrating trauma from injury or ocular surgery usually results in rapidly progressive cataract, with lens fiber swelling, fragmentation, and opacification. Concussive injuries can infrequently cause a rupture of the lens capsule with the development of a cataract or more commonly a contusion cataract forms in the anterior or posterior cortex. These traumatic cataracts may be transitory, or they can remain if the lens fibers are damaged sufficiently.

Radiation
Ionizing radiation has a very high cataract producing affect, and the lens is its most sensitive target within the adult eye. Its damage is dose related and cumulative. The sources of electromagnetic radiation energy most important in damage to the lens are ionizing radiation (x-rays, gamma rays, and neutrons), emission of infrared or ultraviolet rays from various hot bodies, and microwave.

Heavy metal poisoning
Copper, iron and mercury poisoning can lead to the development of cataracts. Copper deposition in Wilson’s disease produces a characteristic sunflower cataract. In this inherited disease there is copper deposition in tissues, especially the liver, causing cirrhosis, and in the basal ganglia of the brain.

Metabolic disorders
Galactosemia and diabetes are two hereditary diseases, which are related to the development of cataracts. Galactosemia is an uncommon hereditary disease of the newborn producing bilateral cataracts, mental retardation and enlargement of the liver. In diabetes mellitus, the usual cataract in these patients does not differ from senile cataract but occurs 20 to 30 years earlier than in a non-diabetic.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency
Oxidative damage contributes to the decrease natural antioxidants in the lens, such as glutathione,  inositol, and ascorbic acid. Aging, diet, and other disease also play roles in deficiency of antioxidants.

Smoking
If you smoke please do everything possible to stop. Smoking tobacco, especially more than 20 cigarettes per day, increases the risk of cataracts by more than 2 times. The risk in ex-smokers is 50 percent higher compared to non-smokers. Each cigarette also robs the body of 25 mg of vitamin C. Smokers have an increase in lipids (both fat and cholesterol) which increase the risk of severe cardiovascular disease. These factors produce narrowing of the retina blood vessels that carry valuable nutrients to the eye.

Alcoholic Consumption
High intake of alcohol can more than doubles the risk of developing cataracts. More than 7 drinks per week will increase the risk, while moderate use does not seem to increase the risk.

Sugar and Cataracts
Diabetics develop cataracts at an earlier age than non- diabetics do. An accumulation of sorbitol and fructose in the lens can induce osmotic swelling of the lens, which will lead to the development of a cataract. A significant number of adults who develop cataracts have undiagnosed diabetes. If you have diabetes, every effort should be made to keep your blood sugar under control. There have been several studies to show that vitamin C can help reduce the level of sorbitol and reduce the incidence of cataract formation.

Vitamins and Nutrients
There have been many large-scale studies to show the effectiveness of vitamins on reducing the incidence of cataracts. A Canadian studied showed that patients over the age of 55 who consumed vitamin C and E supplements reduced their risk of developing cataracts by over 50%. A double blind study involving 30,000 patients performed at the University of Helsinki also demonstrated the beneficial effects of vitamins.

Glutathione
Loss of glutathione occurs in all forms of cataracts. Since 1912, researches have shown that reduced levels of glutathione precede the development of cataracts. With increasing age the levels of glutathione content of the human lens decreases by 4 to 14 times. Glutathione supplements are available but it is questioned weather this large molecule can pass through the digestive tract. N-acetyl-cysteine, a stable amino acid, has been shown to raise the levels of glutathione. Cysteine is found in protein rich eggs. Completely avoiding eggs may rob the body of this amino acid, which may have anti cataract properties.

Vitamin C
The lens of the human eye is bathed in a vitamin C rich aqueous solution, which is 30 times more concentrated than the human blood. It appears that this vitamin C acts as an ultraviolet filter preventing the harmful effects of ultraviolet light. With age the levels of vitamin C begin to decrease and this may contribute to the formation of the senile cataract. There are several studies, which have shown that high dosages of vitamin C (1000 mg/ day) will reverse the development of some cataracts.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Riboflavin helps to make a substance called flavine adenine dinuceotide, which is necessary for the production of glutathione. High levels of glutathione have been shown to keep the human lens clear and prevent the development of cataracts. In one study, 81 percent of patients with cataracts were deficient in riboflavin.

The vitamin supplement that I recommend is a Cataract Nutritional Formula manufactured by Nutritional Research. Information can be obtained from (877) 341-2703 or www.nutritionalresearch.net

Other Herbal Treatment – Is alternative medicine safe?

Cineraria maritima (Dusty Miller)

The government of India’s Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has stated that tincture of Cineraria Maritima Succus is the drug of choice, which prevents the development of cataract. The recommended therapy is 1 to 2 drops in the eye, 3 to 6 times daily.

Boericke describes that it is most effective in traumatic cases and should be instilled into the eye one drop four or five times a day for several. Clarke states that patients should be receiving specific homeopathic treatment internally at the same time.

Homeopathy and Cataracts
Homeopathy is scientific method of therapy based on the principle of stimulating the body’s own healing processes in order to accomplish cure. The basic system was devised and verified by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, nearly 200 years ago. Homeopathy’s astounding success rates in both chronic and acute diseases has resulted in not only standing the test of time, but also rapidly achieving widespread acceptance in Europe, India and South America.

In Homeopathy (”homeo-” means “similar”), each of us is a total and complete individual, no aspect of which can be separated from any other. To be effective, any valid therapy must be based on a deep understanding of and respect for the uniqueness of each individual. In Homeopathy each patient is evaluated as a whole person- mental, emotional and physical. The prescribing remedy is based on the unique patterns found on all three levels. This means that each person is given a remedy that will stimulate his or her particular body to heal. Ten people with Cataracts might receive ten different homeopathic remedies.

Is homeopathy effective in the treatment of cataracts?  A. B. Norton, MD reviewed his experience on this subject, which was published in North American Journal of Homeopathy.  The Homeopathic Treatment of Incipient Senile Cataract, with Tabulated Results of One Hundred Cases was a convincing study to prove the validity of homeopathy.  This study looked at the homeopathic treatment of cataracts in 295 Patients. 100 Patients were under treatment for longer then 3 months. Results: Improvement in 58% of cases, no change in 42%, Slight decrease in 26%, Significant decreases in 19%.