She had laser surgery at that time to seal the leaking blood vessels in both eyes.
Not wanting to go through that sort of thing again, she started researching natural solutions to eye problems. She liked what she read about bilberry more than anything else, so she started taking 500-mg bilberry capsules twice a day.
In addition to the bilberry, her health routine consisted of eating a healthy diet and drinking at least one 8-ounce serving each day of freshly extracted vegetable juice -- celery, carrot, Romaine lettuce, etc.
At her next check-up, the doctor said, "This is unusual. The retinopathy is no longer progressing."
Than, at the next six-month check-up, the doctor said, "I've never seen this. Your retinopathy is reversing."
After two years, the retinopathy was totally gone, and all she had was scar tissue from the laser surgery.
I checked out bilberry at onhealth.com and learned:
Possible mechanisms of action for its effects on ophthalmic conditions include its ability to protect against the breakdown of rhodopsin (retinal purple), a light sensitive pigment located in the rods of the retina, and its ability to regenerate rhodopsin. It may also provide vasoprotection by decreasing capillary fragility and permeability (Bone and Morgan, 1997; Regtop, 1998)With all that said, of course, the single most important thing for eyes and diabetics is to keep the blood sugar well-regulated, which my wife did then and continues to do now by testing her blood sugar level multiple times each day and correcting accordingly with injected insulin.
It's April of 2006 as I write this entry, and my wife has had no additional problems with retinopathy, which continues to astonish the specialist who monitors her eyes twice a year.
For those interested, she currently takes one or two 500-mg bilberry capsules every day, as well as one or two 20-mg lutein capsules, which she added to her routine a few years ago.
Chet "Bilberry for Eye Health" Day
Editor, The Natural Health Circus
http://chetday.com
Is there a certain brand of bilberry and lutein she uses?
ReplyDeleteChet,
ReplyDeleteI wonder how bilberry affects eyesight in folks who aren't diabetics. For instance, does it help with aging eyes? (you know, when your arm becomes shorter and shorter ;-)
I'll have to do some research.
Thanks for posting this.
megan
Hi Chet, I just discovered your site and love everything about it--the recipes, the health tips and your wonderful sense of humor. Please keep them coming! I also want to share this with your readers, fans and friends. The Solaray one-a-day Bilberry and lutein has done wonders for my eyes. I have been taking it for about 3 years, 5-6 times each week. I found out about this from a friend who had taken it for over 20 years and to this day in his mid-60's his brothers still marvel at how he can read fine print without glasses (they are too skeptical to want to take it themselves-go figure!) Personally, I have ditched my glasses. I no longer rub my eyes in frustration trying to get rid of the "film" that made my vision bleary even with glasses on, nor do I keep asking at work, "Is it me or are the lights dim in this office?" This stuff really works--for me, my husband and many relatives who are willing to try. Many reputable online companies sell them at a price lower than the walk-in stores. BTW, I am 53 years old. I hope this info helps someone out there. God bless.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that soon "the eyes of the blind ones will be opened"? -Isaiah 33:25.
ReplyDeletelabellaglen@gmail.com