Many people are confused as to whether or not they are actually taking good care of their eyes.  What does that really mean? Well, now we’ve developed a short quiz to help you determine whether or not you know how to take care of your eyes and what you should be doing.  Take the following quiz and see how you do:

1. How often do you see your eye doctor for an eye exam?

1. Whenever I feel like it
2. When I can’t see as well as I could before
3. At least every two years
4. I don’t

2. Which food is the best source of Lutein, that incredibly eye-healthy nutrient

1. Kale
2. Potatoes
3. Carrots
4. McDonalds

3. Which of the following could damage your eyesight?

1. Staring at your computer screen all day
2. Smoking
3. Reading in dim light
4. Driving on the left side of the road

4. Which eye disease can cause 40% loss of sight before you even notice it?

1. Glaucoma
2. Cataracts
3. You’d notice anything wrong with your eyes
4. Pink eye

5. If you get an eye infection should you?

1. Go straight to the hospital or your eye doctor
2. Use natural, or organic eye drops
3. Just wait it out, it will get better
4. Have a nice cup of tea

6. You want new sunglasses. Do you?

1. Buy the cheapest pair
2. Get fake Gucci’s on eBay
3. Make sure you buy ones that have passed safety regulations
4. Spend as much as you possibly can to look the best

7. Which of these is a symptom of age related macular degeneration?

1. Pain
2. Loss of central vision
3. Loss of side vision
4. Forgetting to pick your grandchildren up from school

Here are the answers:

1. You should have your eyes checked at least every 2 years.

2. Green leafy, Kale is the best food to provide the nutrient Lutein, most needed by eyes to perform at their best.

3. If you smoke you’re up to 4 times more likely to develop age related macular degeneration.

4. Glaucoma has been called the sneak thief of sight. It sneaks up and gradually causes your vision to move inwards.

5. Go straight to your doctor or eye doctor.  Serious problems can be avoided by rapid action.

6. Always check the safety regulations before buying any sunglasses.  Buy a pair that blocks 100% of UV rays.

7. Loss of central vision is a sign of age related macular degeneration, which affects almost a third of the people above 75 years old.  It is a very tricky disease to detect and only your eye doctor can know for sure.

How did you score? How many questions did you get right?

1-2 You have probably been lucky to not get any serious eye diseases, or injuries.  But you should study up some more on eye health and learn how to take better care of your eyes.

3-4 You’re doing pretty well, but you also need to be a bit more diligent when it comes to the health of your eyes.  Check back on the answers you got wrong and read our other Simon Eye blogs for more useful data.

5-7 Congratulations! It looks like you’re doing very well and know your stuff.  Keep it up.  Knowledge is the first defense in the fight to keep our eyes healthy and happy.

Healthy Vision Longer

By Alexa Kaczka

A woman has had her eyesight restored after being blind for 30 years, it has been reported.  Jenny Peterson, from South Dekota, lost her eyesight following an allergic reaction to antibiotics, reports ActionNews.  Over the years, Jenny underwent several unsuccessful stem cell transplants and surgeries, which would return her sight for a few days.  This month, however, she was convinced by surgeons to give surgery another try and was amazed by the results.  After five hours under the knife at the Mayo Clinic, Jenny awoke and could see almost immediately. “I saw my kids. And I can see the little children that I left behind in their faces yet. And I say my husband, my sisters, my dad,” she told the news provider.

Her husband, Ron added: “We`ve been watching videos of things that have happened 30 years ago and 25 years ago. Things that we went to but she could never see.” Recently, researchers from the UC Davis Medical Center in the US claimed that artificial muscles could be used restore the eyesight of people with facial paralysis.

Jenny Peterson

Pasta you may love, but if you want to be able to see the rich colours in your meals for a long time to come, turn to desi food.  For, Indian cuisine uses extensively a magical herb that can prevent loss of sight as the years roll by.  This herb is the humble saffron, which lends yellow colour to your spicy curry.

Researchers from University of Sydney in Australia and Policlinico Gemelli in Italy tested the effect of saffron pills on 25 subjects over six months. Half of the subjects were given a saffron pill for the first three months followed by a placebo for the next three. The other half were given placebo first and then the saffron pills.

Silvia Bisti, lead author of the study from University of Sydney, said, “Measurements using objective eye sight tests showed patient’s vision improved after taking the saffron pill. When they were tested with traditional eye charts, a number of patients could read one or two lines smaller than before, while others reported they could read newspapers and books again.”  She said all patients experienced improvement in their vision when they were on the saffron pill. “But when they stopped taking the pill the effect quickly disappeared,” Bisti added.

The researchers said saffron seems to have a beneficial effect on the genes that regulate the fatty acid content of the cell membrane. “This makes the vision cells tougher and more resilient,” Bisti said.  According to her, saffron has ‘anti-apoptotic’ properties, which means it increases the availability of oxygen to the body and prevents the death of cells.  The researchers are further studying the appropriate dose that can help the elderly avoid vision loss. They also hope to find out if saffron can help treat genetic eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa.  The spice is also believed to have anti-cancer properties.  Secular you should be politically, but when it comes to health, saffron may be the way to go.

Saffron for Eyesight

At Simon Eye Associates we do a lot for one’s eyes and eyesight.  But we would prefer our patients take extra steps in preventing the problems they come to use to solve.  Recently, we have been gathering data for our readers on ways and means to do just that.  When we stumbled across this article, first published in Optometry Today, we knew we had found something of great benefit to you, our patient.  Enjoy!

To mark National Eye Week (November 9-15), the sight care charity has joined forces with healthcare provider, Simplyhealth to alert the public about the eye health risks associated with certain lifestyle choices. Together they are highlighting the effects that obesity, smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and excessive alcohol consumption can have on a person’s eyesight.

Although smoking has been identified as a key element in the development of age-related macular degeneration, just 9.7% of the 13 million smokers in Britain are aware of this link, whist 92.2% and 87.7% are aware of its association with lung cancer and heart disease respectively.

Furthermore, although a small amount of red wine has been found to be beneficial for the eyes, too much alcohol will interfere with the liver. If the liver is damaged, the production of glutathione – which prevents cell damage that leads to cataracts, glaucoma and retinopathy – is reduced.

Around 30 minutes of exercise five-times a week is also encouraged by the Trust. Regular exercise increases the oxygen supply to the retina and optic nerve, as well as lowering the pressure which builds up in the eye.

Iain Anderson, chairman of The Eyecare Trust, said: “There is growing evidence that lifestyle factors play a significant role in determining the long-term health of our eyes. Making the right lifestyle choices from the start can help preserve your vision. However, it’s never too late to make changes, as in some instances vision that is already in decline can be restored by following a healthy diet, taking regular exercise and generally cutting down on the things that we know are bad for us like cigarettes and alcohol.”

Squash the Bad Lifestyle Habits

The below is an article first published in the Philadelphia Inquirer and then later picked up by UPI. Does this remind anyone else of that movie Minority Report? Things are getting interesting in this world when science starts to imitate art.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 9 (UPI) — A South Jersey man says his eyesight is returning, weeks after doctors at Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia implanted electrodes behind his left eye.

Michael Adler, 49, began losing his sight as a child, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Tuesday. Recently, when he was sitting in church he saw what he described as an odd white glow — which turned out to be an open hymnal.

“Every day, I can make out more than I could the day before,” he told the newspaper after tests at the University of Pennsylvania. “It’s very weird trying to get used to it.”

The type of surgery Adler went through has been tried on 32 people who have lost their eyesight to a severe type of retinitis pigmentosa.

The implants bypass damaged eyes and send signals to the brain.

“It’s sort of like, all the phone lines are in place and you didn’t have the phone,” said Julia Haller, the head ophthalmologist at Wills. “This replaces the phone.”

So far, the surgery does not restore normal sight. Adler sees low-resolution black-and-white images lacking in detail — his daughter’s face shows up as a white oval.

But researchers say great advances have been made in the past few years, and even greater progress is likely in the near future.

Science Imitating Art