Natural Standard on Wellness Times

Dr. Catherine Ulbricht, Founder and CEO of Natural Standard, authored a new blog for Wellness Times.

Understanding Eye Disorders: Dr. Ulbricht reviews several common eye disorders, including vision problems, conjunctivitis, uveitis, xerophthalmia (dry eye) and keratitis. She discusses the signs and symptoms of these conditions, as well as treatment options and integrative therapies with scientific evidence of benefit. To read the full blog, please visit www.wellnesstimes.com.

Comments

[CJ]

I thought it was interesting that iodine can be used for eye disorders. I looked up iodine on the Natural Standard database and found out that it can be used for a lot of different health conditions. Iodine even has strong scientific evidence as an antimicrobial and in goiter prevention.

[CM]

Thanks EM for the heads up on complementary and alternative therapies for glaucoma! I checked out the Natural Standard database. Not only does it include information on several different alternative therapies for glaucoma but it also provides great background information on causes, risk factors, etc. Natural Standard lists coleus as having good scientific evidence for use in glaucoma, and it also provides information on possible adverse effects.

[AM]

Thanks Charles, I'll definitely have the try the carrot soup recipe on Natural Standard's recipe database. I've tried the Carrot Walnut Salad with honey-lemon dressing and it was delicious and refreshing! Glad to know I'm also getting my intake of Vitamin A, as well.

[PCO]

Vitamin A is a great supplement for dry eyes and a lot of patients know this. However, many patients do not realize that vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin which can be toxic. Patients need to understand that they will be at risk for vitamin A toxicity if they take more than the recommended daily allowance of this vitamin.

[JK]

I found it very interesting that dry eye is caused by a vitamin A deficiency. It seems like a lot of people come into the pharmacy and ask why they have dry eye. They also look for something to alleviate their distress. Now, I'll be able to answer their questions as well as help them prevent dry eye with diet changes.

[Scooby]

That is very interesting about Iodine, and its use in conjunctivitis. I wondered about some of the adverse effects that may be associated with ophthalmic use, specifically, if there is any significant systemic absorption through the eye that may lead to a thyroid storm and thus acute hypothyroidism; so I looked up iodine's integrative usage in conjunctivitis. Evidence is lacking on the systemic absorption of iodine from the eye; however, caution should still be used due to topical chronic iodinism in which intoxication can lead to irritation and pain; moreover, limited duration is recommended and under the supervision of a healthcare provider. Thanks Natural Standard.

[Emily]

It's interesting that CC notes that bit about salt intake for iodine, because that jumped out at me as well. My mother is always worried about her blood pressure, and swears against any formulation of sodium chloride or iodine as if it's poison. However, it's important to remember that our body is a system of multiple components, and it's necessary to balance our restrictions according to all components, including our eyes!!

[DW]

If you aren’t a fan of carrots there a lot of other good sources of vitamin A. Other vegetables with vitamin A include broccoli, sweet potatoes, some types of squash (summer, butternut and winter), and pumpkin. Most fruit will have vitamin A but a few have a substantial amount, those include grapefruit, papaya, tomatoes, and watermelon. Don’t think you have to eat carrots for eye health; find out what’s in season and break out the cook book, or the recipe database on Natural Standard website.

[EM]

Great article! I've also been looking at the Comparative Effectiveness data for glaucoma, another prevalent disease of the eye, and there seems to be some evidence for CAM therapies in this disease state too.

[TC]

"Supplementing with fish oil, flax and vitamin E can also help dry eyes." This is great information to know obtained from Dr. Ulbricht of Natural Standard. A lot of people feel really uncomfortable with using eye drops, and prefer to avoid them. It's valuable to know that supplementing with fish oil, flax, and vitamin E can help alleviate dry eye symptoms.

[DD]

Great article! Natural Standard gives an evidence grade of A for the use of vitamin A to combat dry eye as well as a grade of A for its use against retinitis pigmentosa.

[AB]

This article was really informative. Since I often suffer from dry eyes, I found the part about xerophthalmia to be particularly interesting. I have also heard the using redness-reliever eye drops can be harmful to your eyes. Does anyone know if this is true? In either case, I am glad to hear of some more natural ways to help treat my dry eyes. Since Vitamin A deficiency can contribute to dry eyes, maybe I will try supplementing with it and see if it helps.

[CO]

I really appreciate that Dr. Ulbricht explains these common eye disorders and makes them easier to understand. I checked out the Natural Standard website to look more into some common eye disorders and how they can be treated with complementary and alternative medicines. I checked the “Medical Conditions” database and found out that Grapeseed can be used for retinopathy. I also appreciate all of the background information and evidence included in the databases.

[SG]

This was such a great article by Dr. Ulbricht! I didn’t realize that a vitamin A deficiency could cause dry eye. It’s always important to target the underlying cause of any medical condition, if possible, so supplementation with vitamin A is a great suggestion that many patients may not have known to try. It could be a great help to patients who have been using artificial tears with no relief.

[retail pharmacist]

There are many OTC eye lubricants available for dry eye syndrome. Most of them have preservatives to allow for multiple uses from larger bottles (and cheaper prices). However, preservatives themselves can cause eye irritation and there is conflicting evidence on the safety of long term use. If cost is not a major priority for the patient, I usually recommend a preservative-free store brand of eye lubricant drops. I also tell the patient that if their dry eye symptoms don’t resolve within 4 to 5 days of using the drops, they should consult a physician.

[FL RPh]

Dry eye is a common issue that I see in my patients at the retail pharmacy setting, especially during winter months when indoor heating is present. I agree with what was said in the article in that the first step should be to identify the cause and remove or reduce it. First I ask if the patient is using any medications that are known to have anticholinergic (i.e “drying”) properties. Some examples include Benadryl and Dramamine (OTC) and Ditropan, Spiriva and Cogentin (RX). This “drying” effect can be useful when treating conditions such as bladder incontinence or excessive drooling.

[Charles]

Check out Natural Standard for the some great recipes featuring carrots, which are a good source of Vitamin A. Vitamin A is great for maintaining eye health. The carrot soup sounds excellent. You could even serve it cold and make it a perfect summer accompaniment.

[CC]

Great article! I didn’t realize that iodine had been used in pediatric patients for several eye conditions. Simply increasing your dietary iodine intake (salt, fish, kelp, etc.) can provide a benefit to the eyes. It’s always nice to hear about ways to improve your families’ health by making simple dietary changes.

[mn]

I was just watching a documentary about how the diet truly affects our health status. Ingesting more vegetables with vitamin A is a great recommendation to provide patients to reduce risks of dry eye!