Nutrition for Better Vision
Dr Strube has long been interested in nutrition and its effects on the health of the body, now the scientific world has begun to explore the influence of nutrition on various vision conditions and diseases.
There are many healthy foods that support great eyesight.
Dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, Swiss chard, turnip greens, collard greens, etc. They have lutein and zeoxanthum in them which are necessary for excellent central vision and help prevent Macular Degeneration.
Blueberries, boysenberries, huckleberries, blackberries and other dark purple berries contain bioflavenoids that keep the walls of your blood vessels strong. Of all the organs in your body, nutrient-rich blood flows fastest through the tiny veins and arteries of the brain, kidney, and retina. So eat your berries They keep blood vessels healthy to feed and oxygenate your vision.
Orange vegetables are carriers of Beta Carotene which is an essential nutrient to night vision. Except for cigarette smokers we should all be eating carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes and squash to help us see better at night. (Smokers will improve their vision substantially by just quitting!).
Fish oils, black currant seed oil, and flax seed oil ll essential fatty acids, have been shown to improve dry eye. We recommend Bio Tears (Bioxyntrx) and usually see improvement within 30days in our dry eye patients.
How do Babies See?
This is a question that is being investigated by the InfantSee program of the American Optometric Association. Dr. Strube volunteers to give infant eye evaluations to children 12 months and younger through a national program called InfantSee. The information gathered from each of these check ups is being compiled into a large database for a study of infants and how they develop vision.
Infant Vision Facts:
- Infants see both form and color at birth. We believe that rays of light entering the pupil stimulate the formation of the baby’s macula–point of best vision.
- There are neurological reflexes present at various stages that can be tested.
- The infant is learning to see every minute that his/her eyes are open.
- Development of muscles, balance, and curiosity about the world is supported substantially by vision.
- When the optical system of an infant?s eye is not transparent, or the neural input is blocked, there will be developmental delays in that child.
- There are exercises and preventive care that you can do for young children with vision problems.
Children’s Vision
Vision plays an important role in children’s success in school. Some statistics say 80% of learning is visual, and vision problems that can make learning difficult do not show up on ordinary eye exams. Here are some articles that might be helpful in understanding how children see, how you can identify vision issues, and how you can help them. Remember, we specialize in vision therapy, a motor and sensory physical therapy which significantly helps children with vision problems.
- Smart Kids who struggle in school need Dr. Strube
- Vision and ADD/ADHD
- Vision and Dyslexia
- WHAT IS VISION?
- Is Your Child Ready for experiencing a 3D movie?
Care for Aging Eyes
In populations over 50 years old, there are disease processes that influence the ability of an individual to see well.
Cataracts are a cloudy formation in the lens of the eye that block some of the light needed to see. There are several types of cataracts, the most common being Nuclear Sclerosis, Cortical, and Posterior Subcapsular.
Glaucoma is a disease process in which fibers of the optic nerve which carry light information from the eye to the brain are slowly destroyed, either by poor blood supply to the nerve or excess fluid pressure in the eye.
Macular degeneration is a slow atrophy of the retinal photo receptors in the point of most acute vision. It is worst in populations exposed to a lot of ultraviolet light, and those who lack dark green leafy vegetables in their diets.
Diabetes is also a whole body disease that affects vision. Diabetes can cause divergent muscle postures, undesired blood vessels in the iris, early onset cataracts, or it can manifest in the retina, leaking blood which impairs vision.
Dry eye also plagues many older patients. Recently optometry has become interested in how we can assist patients with chronic dryness caused by medication, mechanical issues, or inflammation. It can be treated with special cleansers for the lids, various drops, nutrition, or punctal plugs.
LASIK
Refractive surgery has been around for more than two decades. LASIK is the corneal surgery that decreases corneal thickness in order to decrease the curvature and the length of the eyeball front to back.
In previous years the surgery was restricted in the range of prescriptions it could correct, but now many glasses wearers could be corrected with laser treatment. The latest instrument is a wave front refractor that can measure your Rx to the hundredth degree. It can correct problems like halos at night and tails on letters.
Our affiliations with TLC laser center and Spivack Laser Center has had numerous successes in this form of correction. Dr. Strube is very conservative about referring people for surgery, and will be glad to tell you the pros and cons of the procedure.
Vision Therapy
Our vision therapy clinic is headed by Inez Roseth. Inez is a nationally certified vision therapist working in this field for many years. Her empathy and hard work make a high rate of success with our patients.
Vision therapy is physical therapy for the eyes. It assists the patient to make maximum use of color and form perception, enhances spatial awareness and stereovision, improves balance and eye-hand coordination. The speed and span of processing visual information is increased, giving an edge to sports performance and reading efficiency.
If it sounds too good to be true, the catch is hard work. Patients in vision therapy are changing their patterns of movement, handwriting, and patterns of learning: no easy task. Vision therapy is a very powerful process of self mastery. Most of us take our vision for granted, but when you go through vision therapy, you appreciate the process in a very personal way.
