Blogs

 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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv-0Ml5cHWM 

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.

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.