August is Cataract Awareness Month
What Can You Do For Overall Eye Health and Wellness?

     This past week was a record for the number of patients that I have who were going in for “Cataract Surgery”, perhaps not coincidentally (“There are no coincidences, they are just God’s way of staying anonymous.”) August is “Cataract Awareness Month”. Therefore I decided to give you some information so that you can understand eye health better, and assist you in learning how you may be able to avoid some of the common eye disorders such as cataracts.
 
     You see (no pun intended) cataracts may be preventable, or at the least you may be able to put off the onset of cataracts if you do some of the “right stuff” now.
 
      Cataracts are merely a clouding of the lens of the eye. This clouding can range from a slight to a complete opacity over the lens. This causes a partial or even a complete blocking of vision. This is why when my patients have their  cataracts removed, which really means that they are having the lens of the eye removed. This is then replaced by a plastic, silicone, or acrylic artificial lens.
 
     So, what causes the “clouding” of the lens in the first place? You see the lens is actually made up of proteins. These proteins over time start to break down and coagulate. One way that this can occur is through “oxidative damage”. Free radicals formation can be caused by the effects of light and oxygen on the surface of the eye with other concurrent factors. This oxidative damage in turn causes the proteins in the lens of the eye to begin to break down and cloud the lens and thereby reduce a person’s vision.
 
      The thing that I am noticing however clinically is that in my patient base I am seeing more and more individuals having their cataracts (lenses) removed and the artificial implants at an earlier and earlier age. This may also be due to the fact that we have more environmental air pollutants which are contributing to the earlier onset of cataracts. Smoking has also been implicated with the early onset of cataracts.
 
     So, what can you do to avoid this surgery, which to many seems like “no big deal”? I would be willing to bet you that even most of our Silver Inner Health Circle ^tm members whom I consider to be well informed regarding issues of Health and Wellness were unaware that following this surgery you now had either plastic, silicone, or acrylic in your eye, hardly a natural substance.  I also want to review with you some of what you can do to avoid other maladies of the eyes in general.
 
      Many of you may have heard about the beneficial effects of the carotenoid leutine regarding eye health. Lutein is found in high concentration in the “macula” region of the retina (the projection screen of the eye), located in the back of the eye. As a matter of fact the macula’s full scientific name is the “macula lutea” since there is such a dense concentration of leutine in this region of the eye. This macular region of the eye is responsible for “sharp central vision”. As individuals age this macular region begins to break down. The condition is called “macular degeneration”, and leads to a significant reduction in an individuals ability to see fine detail. If we think about this for a moment it would make sense that since most individuals “Eat Right” is off and they are not taking in enough good quality carotenoid/anti-oxidant rich fruits and vegetables that they do become deficient in this specific carotenoid Lutine. Therefore I would recommend that you consider for yourself, your family and loved ones supplementing with a high quality lutine supplement like our Vision Support. Our Vision Support not only gives you a high quality source of Lutine, but also contains many other eye healthy nutrients, substances such as Bilberry, which was first used by pilots in WW II to improve night vision.  Bilberry contains substances called polyphenols which increase circulation particularly in the tiny blood vessels that feed the retina. These substances also have strong anti-oxidant properties, which can help reduce overall oxidative stress, and thereby assist in reducing the likelihood that you will develop cataracts.
 
     Beta-carotene is the water soluble precursor to Vitamin A, an essential component of the visual cycle. Beta-carotene is also a strong anti-oxidant, and will assist in reducing oxidative changes caused by the constant exposure of the eye not only to oxygen but also the UV rays of the sun. The proprietary form of Beta-carotene found in our Vision Supportis called Betatene ^tm. Betatene is a mixed carotenoid source which contains other strong anti-oxidant carotenoids which together create an arsenal in the fight against “age related eye disease”, particularly “macular degeneration.
 
     Lycopene, which is another carotenoid found in our Vision Support supplement has been shown in recent research to be in an inverse relationship with the formation of cataracts. In other words the higher your level of lycopene the lower your incidence of cataract formation.
 
     Quercetin is a citrus bioflavonoid which has shown to protect the eyes against the formation of cataracts. We have also incorporated Quercetin in our Vision Support supplement.
 
     The amino acid Taurine (a building block for the proteins in the body and the eye) has also been studied in relationship to overall eye Health. Taurine is also a component of our Vision Support supplement.
 
     Obviously one of the first things that anyone should do for eye health as well as to avoid the formation of cataracts is to stop smoking. I know that for most of our members this one is a no brainer since smoking and obesity are the two preventable causes of the majority of our “diseases” and disorders today. The other thing that you should do is practice your “Eat, Think, Move, and Sleep Right”. Eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits. You should also realize as I do that the world out there is tough on our bodies. The oxidative assault that our bodies are exposed to everyday can be overwhelming. I learned long ago that I needed to help my body along as much as I possibly could. I have used our Vision Support supplement for years now. I did so originally because I know that the stress of life would eventually take its toll and I needed to help avoid the “assault” in as many ways as I possibly could. Our Vision Support supplement is a complete ocular formula that contains patented ingredients along with a number of synergistic neutriceuticals all of which contribute to the structure and function of various anatomical and physiological aspects of the eyes. I challenge you to find a more complete, higher quality vision support formula on the market.