What Doctors Don't Tell YouWhen you ask your doctor, “Why have I got glaucoma?” you will usually be told that he doesn’t know why, and that it is nothing to do with what you eat, drink or smoke, or the drugs that you may be taking. But the present research has shown that this is not true. A large number of cases of glaucoma result from nutritional deficiency. Research has shown that vitamin A deficiency causes the cornea to soften and its texture to change from a glassy pearl appearance to a dull matt surface. If the vitamin A deficiency persists the cornea eventually completely collapses and melts away. Alcohol consumption destroys vitamin A and therefore could be responsible for changing the permeability of the connective tissues during the early corneal changes resulting from vitamin A deficiency.
Many of the drugs being used for various disorders are responsible for some of the increase in the incidence of primary glaucoma during recent years. The processing and adulteration of foodstuffs has also played a role.Research has been carried out in order to ascertain the effect of alcohol on intra ocular tension by numerous researchers. Their conclusions were that alcohol reduced intra ocular tension. As a result some doctors have recommended that patients suffering from glaucoma should take alcohol. We strongly disagree with this recommendation, largely as a result of more recent research.
It has been shown that nutrition is directly related to the normal intra ocular tension and that this is a key factor for the variation in tension throughout the day. With the alcohol tests, researchers noted that the maximum effect occurred after one and a half hours, and that after two hours the tension again increased. Present research indicates that the ingestion of a drink merely acted as an intake of liquid food which in some cases contained more protein (beer) than in others (whisky).
The long term effect of alcohol ingestion not only destroys vitamin A and other nutrients vital to eye health, but eventually destroys the liver, the storehouse of vitamin A.
As soon as you know that you are suffering from an eye disease, there are many steps you can take to improve the problem without exposing yourself to the risks inherent in orthodox treatment. First of all, abstain from alcohol and smoking, in spite of what your doctor may say about it doing no harm. Assess your diet for its nutritional content and adjust it and/or take supplements so that your daily intake of protein is at least 60 gms if you are a woman and 70 gm if you are a man, plus 10 mg glucose. (Increased protein intake has been found to help eye problems, particularly glaucoma.) Raise your daily intake of the following vitamins:
Vitamin A 25,000 international units
Vitamin E 500 mg
Vitamin C 3 g
Vitamin B1 15 mg
Vitamin B2 12 mg
Vitamin B6 12 mg
Because there may be other nutrients necessary, it might be wise to consult a specialist in nutritional medicine, particularly an ophthalmic practitioner with knowledge of ophthalmic nutritional therapy. It’s also a good idea to ask this ophthalmic practitioner to monitor your intra ocular tension if you are using any orthodox treatments, since the raising of your nutritional status may enable you to reduce, if not eliminate, the use of drugs.
For more information and a list of practitioners who may be sympathetic to this approach,contact Dr Evans at the address above or telephone:(0502) 583294.
Daniel Redwood DC