Vitamin C, Glaucoma

Ophthalmologist Herschell Body claims that open angle glaucoma can be cured with large doses of vitamin C. He placed 30 of his patients on as much vitamin C as they could take without getting diarrhea. The vitamin C was taken three times a day. Every patient had a reduction in their intraocular pressure.

Dr. Boyd commented that he had never seen a case of glaucoma in any of his patients who routinely consumed large amounts of vitamin C.
(Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 10(3/4)165-168, 1995)
Copyright 1995 Phylis A Austin

Hypertension, retinal degeneration, vegetarian diet

A study carried out in the Republic of China revealed that individuals on a strict vegetarian diet (no meat, fish, milk, eggs, and alcohol or tobacco) have less high blood pressure than persons consuming the typical non-vegetarian diet. Retinal arteriosclerosis was much less common in the vegetarians (19.8 percent vs. 42.9 percent). Degenerative disease of the retina of the eye was less common in vegetarians. In those vegetarians who did have abnormalities of the eyes, the changes
were much less profound than those in non-vegetarians. (Medical Tribune 27(32)3, 33, November, 1986)
Copyright 1986 Phylis Austin

Dietary sodium and cataracts

A high dietary sodium (salt) diet increases the risk of posterior subcapsular cataracts, according to Australian researchers.

A study of over 2,100 subjects revealed that those with the highest sodium intake were at approximately twice the risk of posterior subcapsular cataracts.

They conclude that a low salt diet may help prevent cataract development in elderly persons (American Journal of Epidemiology 151:524-626, 2000)

Posterior subcapsular cataracts cause the most vision loss of all cataract types.

It has been estimated that 70 percent of women and 60 percent of men over the age of 80 suffer cataracts.

Copyright 2000 Phylis A Austin

Cataracts and low fat diet

A low calorie diet may help prevent the development of cataracts. Allan Tayler, Ph.D., Director of the Laboratory for Nutrition and Cataract Research at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, put a group of mice on a low calorie diet and compared them to a group on a regular diet. After 14 months nearly all the mice on the regular diet showed some signs of cataract formation, while about one-third of those on the low calorie diet showed no indication of cataracts. (Longevity 1(10)12, July 1989)

Copyright 1989 Phylis A Austin