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Healthy Habits Can Cut Your Risk of Eye Disease

A new study has suggested that women who exercise, eat right, and don’t smoke can possibly cut their risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by more than two-thirds.

The authors wrote:

Adopting these healthy habits may markedly lower the prevalence of early AMD, the number of people who develop advanced AMD in their lifetime, and healthcare costs associated with treatment for this condition.

Participants in the study previously gave researchers a detailed dietary and lifestyle history about six years before AMD was assessed, making them ideal to look at to examine links between behavioral factors and AMD, a leading cause of vision loss among U.S. adults ages 60 and older.

Self-reported diets at baseline were scored according to the content of relatively healthy foods, such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and milk, as well as unhealthy foods including saturated fats, sodium, and added sugar.

Responses to questionnaire items on recreational and household physical activity were translated into estimated energy expenditures, expressed as metabolic energy task-hours (MET-hours) per week.

Lowered associations with AMD risk were found to be statistically significant for both diet and exercise. Interestingly, smoking by itself was not a particularly strong risk factor for AMD in this study. Compared with participants who never smoked.

But all three factors combined were a powerful indicator of AMD risk ompared to women who practiced good diet and exercise habits.

The observational study provided no hard evidence for a causal mechanism, but the researchers suggested that healthy lifestyles may keep blood pressure down, which, in turn, could reduce AMD risk.

Behavioral factors can also affect the composition of macular pigment which potentially makes the macula more or less vulnerable to various pathologies such as oxidative damage – which causes AMD.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care, a family Optometry practice in Palmetto Bay, Florida. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: AMD, Eye Disorders, eyecare, Health, Macular degeneration, optometrist, optometry, retina, vision care, vision loss

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Another Reason Why It's So Important to Dilate Your Eyes

Ocular melanomas are the most common type of eye cancer and the second-most common form of melanoma, which affects almost 2,000 adults in the United States every year. This disease is most common in patients over 50, with the tumors arising from pigment cells situated just behind the retina. Up to half of people with this type of cancer eventually develop metastatic disease, which is universally fatal.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a gene linked to the spread of eye melanoma, an important step in understanding why some tumors spread and others don’t. They believe these findings could lead to more effective treatments.

The team found a specific mutation in a gene called BAP1 in 84 percent of the metastatic eye tumors they studied. Compare this to tumors that did not metastasize where the mutation was rare.

Metastasis is the most common cause of death in cancer patients, and there is little known about how and why the cancer cells become able to spread to other parts of the body. There is growing evidence, however, that mutations in so-called metastasis suppressor genes may promote the spread of cancer, while still having little to do with earlier stages of a tumor. Only a few such genes have been identified, but these new findings strongly implicate BAP1 as a suppressor gene.

Hopefully this new research leads to better diagnoses and treatment of this unfortunate eye disease.

This is another example of why our office places so much importance on dilation and Optomap retinal imaging. These are the only ways to see inside of your eye where harmful and potentially fatal conditions can occur without any outward signs or symptoms.

Remember, an eye exam is more than just blurry vision. Call your Optometrist for an appointment today.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: blindness, clarin eye care, eye care, eye doctor, eye exam, eyecare, medical, optometrist, optometry, retina, vision, vision care, vision loss

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Eye Care Is More Than Just Blurry Vision

The fear of going blind is a scary thought in most people’s minds. However, Lighthouse International conducted a new survey showing six out of seven people that are at risk for, or who currently have, eye disease do not get annual eye exams.

Some of the reasons people may forgo eye care is the cost, the fear of hearing a worst case scenario from the doctor or because they don’t experience any trouble with their vision. Of course if you wait until you experience a change in your vision, you can miss an early diagnosis of a possibly treatable or manageable disease.

For example, glaucoma and macular degeneration are two of the most common eye diseases. Both of these have almost no symptoms early on — but can cause partial blindness and a loss of function in your life. Both are also manageable, especially if they are discovered early.

These conditions are also much more likely to occur if there is a family history, so talking to your relatives and being proactive in your eye care are the two greatest things you can do. You should see an eye doctor annually if someone in your family has been diagnosed with glaucoma or macular degeneration.

Vision loss, however, isn’t the only issue. A routine eye exam can also detect many other diseases in their early stages, including diabetes, autoimmune disorders, neurofibromatosis and even brain tumors.

Routine eye exams should be performed every year for those 40 and older, not just to check for blurry vision but to make sure your eyes, and body, are healthy. Call our office today to schedule the next step in your preventative medical care.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

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Tags: Blurred vision, clarin eye care, Eye care professional, Eye disease, eye doctor, eye exam, Eye examination, eyecare, glaucoma, Macular degeneration, optometrist, optometry, retina, vision, vision care, vision loss

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Attention to Warning Signs Can Save Your Vision

In the UK’s Daily Mail (10/13), reporter Janette Marshall details her personal experience with a retinal tear. The “first warning sign was a sudden onset of frequent flashes like cartoon lightning streaks,” followed by numerous floating black spots. Eric Ezra, director of vitreoretinal surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital, explains that ”early diagnosis and treatment is essential.” Without immediate treatment, “a torn retina can cause the entire retina to detach from the back of the eye, causing loss of sight,” possibly within “a matter of days or even few hours.” It is imperative that if you experience any symptoms such as flashes of light or new floating spots in yourvision that you call your eye doctor immediately and schedule an appointment.

This information is brought to you by Clarin Eye Care Center. Please call or contact our office for more information.

Tags: adam clarin, clarin, detachment, dr. clarin, eye, eye care, eyecare, optometrist, optometry, retina, tear, vision, vision care, vision loss

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