Cataract Risk, Diet & Health

Combination of Healthy Diet & Healthy Body Weight Lowers Cataract Risk

The Blue Mountains Eye Study showed that carefully following dietary guidelines decreased risk of visual impairment. However, whether or not this association extends to age-related cataract was not clear. So, researchers have now reported on a study to determine if strict adherence to dietary guidelines, using total diet score, impacted the incidence of age-related cataract. Using complex statistical analysis of the Blue Mountains Eye Study, the found that adhering to dietary guidelines and total diet score by itself was not associated with incidence of any cataract, BUT as total diet score increases with a Body Mass Index (BMI)<25, there is an association with lower risk of nuclear cataract which is a known aging marker.

If you or someone you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is an affiliate of Prism Vision Group and is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Glaucoma Risk & Cholesterol Medication

Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, is a condition where pressure builds up in the eye and affects the optic nerve. Recent research suggests that statins-cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease-also lower intraocular pressure and promote blood flow to the optic nerve, which may help lower glaucoma risk.

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have reported on a study in JAMA Ophthalmology demonstrating that taking statins for five or more years is associated with lower risk of primary open-angle glaucoma. Their study suggests that there are possible protective associations beyond cardiovascular conditions offered by long-term statin use. Statins may strengthen neuroprotective mechanisms that prevent degeneration of cells in the optic nerve. The results showed that use of statins for five years or longer, versus never using statins, are associated with a 21 percent lower chance of primary open-angle glaucoma and that elevated cholesterol levels may heighten glaucoma risk. They also cautioned that the findings do not mean that individuals with family histories of glaucoma should use statins or other cholesterol medications for glaucoma prevention. Randomized clinical trials will be needed to determine if a causal link exists between statin use and glaucoma prevention before physicians can recommend statins for lowering risk of primary open-angle glaucoma. Particularly in elderly populations, statins have potential side effects, including risk of muscle damage and liver or kidney dysfunction.

If you or someone you know are concerned about your glaucoma risks please schedule an eye exam and glaucoma testing at The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is an affiliate of Prism Vision Group and is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Visual Perception in Kids with Epilepsy

Brain surgery for epilepsy in kids is sometimes necessary to stop seizures and allow children to function. However, brain surgery carries significant risks, including impairment in visual perception. Normal visual function requires not just information sent from the eye, but also image and neurological processing in the brain that allows us to understand and act on that information, or perception. Signals from the eye are first processed in the early visual cortex, a region at the back of the brain that is necessary for sight. They then travel through other parts of the cerebral cortex, enabling recognition of patterns, faces, objects, scenes, and written words. In adults, even if their sight is still present, injury or removal of even a small area of the brain’s vision processing centers can lead to dramatic, permanent loss of perception, making them unable to recognize faces, locations, or to read, for example. But in children, who are still developing, this part of the brain appears able to rewire itself, a process known as plasticity.

According to a study funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), due to this neuroplasticity- a sort of “rewiring” process that can occur in children because they are still developing, children can keep full visual perception—the ability to process and understand visual information—after brain surgery for severe epilepsy.

If you or someone you know would like to know more about visual perception problems in children or children’s eye health & vision problems please be sure to schedule an eye exam at The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is an affiliate of Prism Vision Group and is located at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.