Nutritional Ophthalmology

Abstract: An authoritative, comprehensive treatment of the current status of knowledge on the effects of nutrients on the eye is presented for ophthalmologists, nutritionists, clinicians, physicians, other health professionals, and researchers. The nutritional needs of the eye are covered from embryogenesis through maintenance and functioning during the life span. The material presented, which is synthesized from animal studies and human clinical experiences, details information on starvation effects, dietary toxins, miscellaneous human eye conditions, prenatal influences, and the role of dietary management. Elaborated singular dissertations are presented on the role and effects of various nutrients (vitamin A; B complex vitamins; other vitamins; essential trace elements; proteins and amino acids; carbohydrates; and lipids). (wz).

Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and the Eye, Second Edition, thoroughly addresses common features and etiological factors on how dietary and nutritional factors affect the eye. The ocular system is perhaps one of the least studied organs in diet and nutrition, yet the consequences of vision loss are devastating. There are a range of ocular defects that have either their origin in nutritional deficiencies/excess or have been shown to respond favorably to nutritional components. Featuring a new section on animal model studies where both the ocular problem and dietary remedies can be varied, there are also new chapters on dietary supplements. Serves as a foundational collection for neuroscience, neurology and nutrition researchers, illustrating the importance of nutrition and diet in eye health and function Provides a common language for readers to discuss how nutritional factors and related diseases and syndromes affect the eye Features new chapters on infectious diseases of the eye where nutrition is a factor Discusses animal model studies, dietary supplements, natural dietary extracts from around the world, and age-related changes in ocular health

Significant advancements in nutrition's impact on the eye have occurred faster than any volume can document... until now. This book gives the background and rationale regarding the physiological damage caused by biological oxidants as well as the rationale for the protective roles for nutrient-antioxidants and how they affect the risk for cataracts. This volume also contains information on how to quantitatively assess age-related diseases of the eye including cataracts and age-related maculopathy. Smoking and light exposure as factors for age-related eye diseases as well as the utility of potential anticataract pharmaceuticals is discussed.

The Handbook of Nutrition in Ophthalmology is the first general text on nutrition and eye health created for physicians, nutritionists, and researchers. The author provides important links between the epidemic of obesity and implications it has for eye disease and blindness. The volume also includes chapters addressing nutritional aspects of preventing eye disease in diabetes mellitus and other optical neuropathies, making this a unique book.

More than 180 million Americans have a problem with their vision. Most believe there's not much they can do on their own to change how much (or how little) they see. Now there is hope. In the past decade, an overwhelming number of clinical studies have shown that eating specific nutrients can help maintain vision well into old age, alleviate eye conditions, and even reverse the progress of diseases. In this book, top ophthalmologist Dr. Neal Adams uses clear, accessible language to translate research from hundreds of clinical studies in ophthalmology and nutrition to show how we can restore and maintain eyesight by changing our diet. The solution is simple: just naturally grown foods, with nutrients clinically proven to target the components of the eye affected by disease and/or age. The book explains how the eye functions and what nutrients influence these physiological processes, and includes tailored, easy-to-understand instruction on which foods and nutrients will target the reader's specific concerns. Particularly helpful for the 150 million Americans who visit their eye doctors annually as well as the 95 percent of Americans over 40 at risk for future vision loss.

Each year the improvements in communication and transportation, the growing awarness that the resources of this earth are finite, the realization that the population explosion in any part of the world is a concern of all, and the increased economic interdependence of all countries, have increased importance of internationalism as opposed to nationalism. One of the first segments of our society to ignore political and geographic boundaries was that of medicine, particularly in the field of communicable diseases. Valient efforts have been made by some individuals at great personal sacrifice and by individual societies or organizations to prevent and cure blindness and to rehabilitate those who have lost their sight. Only recently, however, have such efforts been consolidated into a major international force. In 1969 the 22nd World Health Assembly of WHO adapted a resolution requesting the Director-General to undertake a study on the information which is at pre sent available on the extent and/or causes of preventable and curable blind ness. In 1972 a working group was convened by the World Health Organiza tion in Geneva to outline an attack on the prevention of blindness. At the Paris meeting of the International Congress of Ophthalmology in July of 1974, Mr. JOHN WILSON, who for many years had been one of the leaders in the prevention and cure of blindness on an international basis through his organization of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, was elected President of the International Association for Prevention of Blindness.

The ability to see deeply affects how human beings perceive and interpret the world around them. For most people, eyesight is part of everyday communication, social activities, educational and professional pursuits, the care of others, and the maintenance of personal health, independence, and mobility. Functioning eyes and vision system can reduce an adult's risk of chronic health conditions, death, falls and injuries, social isolation, depression, and other psychological problems. In children, properly maintained eye and vision health contributes to a child's social development, academic achievement, and better health across the lifespan. The public generally recognizes its reliance on sight and fears its loss, but emphasis on eye and vision health, in general, has not been integrated into daily life to the same extent as other health promotion activities, such as teeth brushing; hand washing; physical and mental exercise; and various injury prevention behaviors. A larger population health approach is needed to engage a wide range of stakeholders in coordinated efforts that can sustain the scope of behavior change. The shaping of socioeconomic environments can eventually lead to new social norms that promote eye and vision health. Making Eye Health a Population Health Imperative: Vision for Tomorrow proposes a new population-centered framework to guide action and coordination among various, and sometimes competing, stakeholders in pursuit of improved eye and vision health and health equity in the United States. Building on the momentum of previous public health efforts, this report also introduces a model for action that highlights different levels of prevention activities across a range of stakeholders and provides specific examples of how population health strategies can be translated into cohesive areas for action at federal, state, and local levels.

This volume contains a basic research section focusing on the major compounds of nutrition and food supplements as well as a clinical research section providing up-to-date information on the results of recent clinical studies. Written for clinicians as well as basic vision scientists, this volume is an essential contribution to the research activities, especially in eye diseases leading to blindness such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration.