Eyesight Preservation for Seniors

Everyone's eyesight changes with increasing age. At about age forty, most people notice that it is more difficult to read the fine print in newspapers or telephone directories, especially in dim light. Other changes in vision include inadequate tear production, resulting in dry eyes, ore making too many tears. The risk of cataracts - the clouding of the clear lens that admits light into the eye - starts in the late sixties or early seventies, and perhaps earlier in people with diabetes. More than half of all people over the age sixty five have cataracts. Glaucoma, a disorder characterised by a buildup of pressure inside the eyeball, is also more common among older people. It is usually asymptomatic in its early stages, and by the time symptoms develop, the disease may already have caused irreversible vision loss.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) damages the central part of the retina, the paper-thin tissue that lines the back of the eyeball, destroying sharp, central vision. People over the age of sixty run the greatest risk for ARMD. Stopping smoking helps to reduce ARMD risk.

Several nutrients have recently been found to preserve eyesight in seniors and to help to prevent or reverse vision loss.

Vitamin C

A university study of women between the ages of 56 and 71 who had taken vitamin C supplements for at least a decade found that they had a substantially lower risk of cataracts. Researchers believe that the apparent protective effect of vitamin C is due to its antioxidant properties, which protect cells in the eye against the damage of unstable molecules (free radicals) formed when the body burns oxygen. Vitamin C is sixty times more concentrated in the lens of the eye than in the blood. These levels normally drop with age, and people with cataracts tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin C than those without cataracts. It is also known that vitamin C boosts vitamin E's antioxidant activity, which may be an indirect method for its cataract-preventive actions.

Several studies have shown that vitamin C lowers intraocular pressure in people with glaucoma.

Vitamin C also exerts a small protective effect against the development of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

Vitamin E

Vitamin E exerts antioxidant effects that help to prevent cataracts. In one study, researchers measured blood levels of vitamin E in 750 subjects. The lenses of the subjects eyes were also examined for cataract-like changes. Participants with the highest 20% of plasma vitamin E at the beginning of the study had a reduction of 42% in their risk of cataracts compared with participants with the lowest 20% of plasma vitamin E. Subjects who had been taking vitamin E supplements for more than five years had a 74% reduction in their risk of cataracts.

Vitamin E helps to prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). In one study, researchers measured blood levels of vitamin E in 2,500 residents of a town in France. They found that people with the highest levels of vitamin E had an 82% reduction in their risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Researchers believe that this effect could occur from vitamin E controlling blood cholesterol, reducing the risk of blood clots in the eye and by increasing the effectiveness of other antioxidants. In a study involving people with severe ARMD, the condition stabilized in those ARMD patients receiving vitamin E supplements, but continued to progress in the control group.

Preliminary studies show that vitamin E may help to prevent glaucoma. Elevated levels of the amino acids, glutamic acid, are strongly suspected of causing glaucoma. Vitamin E helps to counteract glutamic acid toxicity and may thereby help to prevent glaucoma.

Lipoic Acid

Lipoic acid is a sulphur-containing vitamin-like compound. It is useful against cataracts, age-related macular (ARMD) degeneration and glaucoma.

Cataracts are associated with a reduction in antioxidant activity in the lens of the eye. Lipoic acid is known to regenerate several important lens antioxidants, including glutathione, vitamin E and vitamin C. Lipoic acid also inhibits the activation of aldose reductase (an enzyme that produces cataracts by initiating the formation of damaging sugars in the eye). In one study, lipoic acid administration resulted in protection from cataracts in 60% of experimental animals.

Through its ability to regenerate known nutritional protectors against age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), lipoic acid is able to delay or prevent ARMD.

Lipoic acid has been tested in a clinical study involving 106 glaucoma patients. In this study, glaucoma patients received lipoic acid (or a placebo) for one month. The greatest improvements in glaucoma and vision occurred in the lipoic acid group (in which 47% of glaucoma patients experienced improvement in visual acuity, visual field, color discrimination and tear production).

Bilberry

Known as "the vision herb", this relative of the blueberry contains anythocyanosides, which are bioflavonoid-like compounds that function as antioxidants in the eyes.

In one study (50 subjects), combination treatment using bilberry together with vitamin E caused a reduction in the formation of cataracts in 96% of human volunteers.

Bilberry is widely-used in Europe for the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and its effectiveness is likely to stem from the protective antioxidant effects of its constituent anthocyanosides.

Many other aspects of eyesight are enhanced by bilberry. For instance, it improves night vision, improves the ability to adapt to glare, alleviates eye fatigue, and improves various parameters of eyesight in diabetic retinopathy patients.

ALC (Acetyl-L-Carnitine)

ALC is a more potent form of the amino acid, carnitine. ALC helps to prevent age-related impairment of eyesight by protecting the optic nerve from damage and by protecting the area of the brain that receives nerve impulses that convert messages from the eyes into the actual perception of images.

In a recent study, ALC was found to inhibit the type of damage (glycation) that occurs in the proteins of the lens of the eye during the process of cataract development by 42%. This same mechanism (inhibition of glycation damage) also means that ALC helps to protect against glaucoma.

With age, the body produces greater amounts of an aging pigment named lipofuscin (also known as "old-age pigment"). This toxic pigment accumulates in the retina and is believed to be one of the causes of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). ALC is known to help to remove this toxic pigment from the body (including the retina) and this is likely to help to reduce the risk of ARMD.

Ginkgo biloba

Researchers have found that Ginkgo biloba may prevent age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). French scientists studied ten patients with ARMD, giving half of them Ginkgo biloba and the other half a placebo. Those taking the Ginkgo experienced an improvement in their ability to see objects at long distance.

Some researchers have also hypothesised that Ginkgo biloba may be useful for treating glaucoma because of its ability to significantly increase blood circulation to the eyes.

Lutein (and Zeaxanthin)

Lutein and zeaxanthin are the two major carotenoids (yellow/red/orange pigments) present in the macula and retina of the eye. Their high presence in the eye suggests that they play a major role as antioxidants in the eye.

In a recent study, 14 male age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) patients aged 61 - 79 consumed high amounts (four to seven servings per week) of spinach (which is high in lutein). Improvements of 60% to 92% were observed in visual function tests in all patients.

Other studies have shown that lutein/zeaxanthin reduce the risk of cataracts by approximately 22%; help to prevent glaucoma; and help to filter out damaging ultra-violet radiation from the eyes.

The Take-Home Message

Seniors who wish to prevent or treat age-related vision loss or eyesight impairment should consider the following supplements:

• 1,000 - 3,000 mg of vitamin C per day.
• 150 mg of lipoic acid per day.
• 400 - 1,200 IU of vitamin E per day.
• 120 - 160 mg per day of bilberry extract (use products standardised to contain 25% anthocyanosides).
• 1,500 mg of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) per day.
• 120 - 240 mg of Ginkgo biloba extract per day.
• 20 - 40 mg per day of combined lutein and zeaxanthin (alternatively these nutrients can be obtained by eating high amounts of spinach).