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Is it possible for a glaucoma patient to dramatically reduce their eye pressure without using additional glaucoma drugs or surgery?
Six months ago, on 5-Nov-2006 I recorded the following intraocular pressure measurements.
My glaucoma medication was Xalatan in each eye and 0.5% timolol maleate in my right eye.
Antiguan Optometrist, Dr. Jillia Bird has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Glaucoma Patient Organizations (AIGPO).
The invitation came from New York Ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Ritch, co-chair of the AIGPO who is presently also co-chair of the World Glaucoma Foundation and surgeon director of the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
The AIGPO is an organisation that developed as an off-shoot of the Association of International Glaucoma Societies – “a global organisation for glaucoma science and care.”
Science moves slowly and proof of any sort is hard to come by. However, we have strong evidence that lots of herbs and "super food"-type supplements can be very beneficial for patients with glaucoma. How long do you want to wait for the "official" proclamation that these supplements are beneficial?
In glaucoma@yahoogroups.com, Rachel wrote:
New research presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting last week revealed that acupuncture can dramatically reduce eye pressure (intraocular pressure). The study, titled Electro-acupuncture to decrease intraocular pressure in Rhesus monkeys with chronic glaucoma, was performed by scientists at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Dr. Cantwell was the lead researcher and she was at ARVO to present the results.
I will be attending the ARVO (Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) 2007 Annual Meeting. You may not see much activity on my blogs until after May 11th, but I'm sure I'll have a lot of interesting news to report after the conference. My schedule for the week is packed full of sessions on the latest research in glaucoma and related topics.
This article isn't new, but I found the abstract interesting. Since the time of publication a lot of research has been done on oxidative stress and Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) in glaucoma. In a vicious cycle AGEs lead to the generation of reactive oxygen species and AGE production is promoted by oxidative stress. Both are thought to be factors in the increasing stiffness of the lamina cribrosa.
If you use ocular beta blockers such as timolol for glaucoma, consider using coenzyme Q10 supplements. Even with careful use (including punctal occlusion), some glaucoma patients experience serious cardiovascular side effects from timolol. However, several studies have found that coenzyme Q10 can improve cardiovascular health. And one study specifically found that coenzyme Q10 reduced those cardiovascular side effects caused by timolol eye drops. Therefore, I would not consider using timolol eye drops without also using coenzyme Q10. Below are excerpts from two published articles aboutthe importance of coenzyme Q10 for glaucoma patients.
Effect of coenzyme Q10 on hemodynamic response to ocular timolol.
Prostaglandin analogues (PGAs) are the most common treatment for glaucoma. Most PGA formulations, like travoprost and latanoprost, contain the preservative benzalkonium chloride (BAK). Travoprost Z is preserved with a new ionic buffered preservative system, sofZia. To evaluate the potential toxicity of travoprost Z, travoprost, latanoprost and their components to the ocular surface, a tissue culture model utilizing immortalized corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells was utilized.
I have strong evidence that I exhibit a white coat syndrome for intraocular pressure (eye pressure). First, let me provide some background on white coat syndrome.
Would anyone like to join me in the jacuzzi for an eye pressure experiment? Here's how it is supposed to work:
Could krill oil be better than fish oil and become one of the superfoods you take regularly? Revisit the conversation about foods that are good for your vision and overall health by reading through this blog post by Dave.
This article is my attempt to unify some of what has been proposed about the mechanism underlying retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss in glaucoma.
By Soutik Biswas
BBC News, Delhi
In a quiet government office in the Indian capital, Delhi, some 100 doctors are hunched over computers poring over ancient medical texts and keying in information.
These doctors are practitioners of ayurveda, unani and siddha, ancient Indian medical systems that date back thousands of years.
My pick for the best glaucoma clinic in the US (and maybe in the world) is Glaucoma Associates of New York at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
By NICHOLAS ZAMISKA
WSJ March 2, 2007; Page B1
HONG KONG -- Chinese doctors have long experimented with combinations of herbs to cure disease. If a plant extract helped to fight an infection, why bother trying to figure out which molecule did the trick? It worked, and that's what counted.
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