Re: OT Eye Floaters


"Matt Stawicki" <appleaderplug@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:cfe9c45dip8e2d9pcq6vdak5c4o4ar902i@xxxxxxxxxx
On 6 Sep 2008 04:20:30 GMT, D Murphy <spamto154@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

BottleBob <bottlbob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:XqGdnYZB950FbVzVnZ2dnUVZ_tCdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxx:

Bob,

Could be a sign of a detached retina.

You guys are scary.

Here's a scary story for you then:

About ten years ago on Labor Day in fact, I was doing some projects
around the house and sent my wife down to Home Depot to get something I
needed. While she's there without me she figures it would be the perfect
time to buy new storm doors for the house. The ones we had were fine, she
just didn't like the style, hence the perfect time to buy them being
there without me.

So she recruits the lot boy to rig these bad boys to the roof of her car.
They used everything from rope to tape to bungee cords. Anyway, we're in
the driveway, her on one side of the car and me on the other, trying to
undo all the crazy rigging and I can't get one of the bungee cords
unclipped from the rain gutter. I finally get the hook free and it rips
through my hand. Ouch. I check out the gash across my palm and decide
that I'll probably live and I notice my wife is gone. I run around to the
other side of the car and she is bent over with one hand over her eye.
There's blood pouring out from in between her fingers. It looks bad. I
can't get her to let me see her eye and I'm not so sure I want to see it.

It turns out the hook hit her just below the eye. She needed stitches,
then they sent us to an opthomologist because her vision was affected. It
turned out her eye was badly bruised but was otherwise OK. They gave her
a pirate patch and sent us on our way.

On a follow up exam they took her eye pressures and they were off the
charts. She had undiagnosed Glaucoma. She would surely be blind today if
it hadn't been caught early. As it is even under treatment, she loses a
little bit of sight every year. The accident saved her sight.


Dan,

I have Open-Angle Glaucoma. Had it for about 5 years now. I, too, am
gradually loosing my sight. Although, my doctor has been trying
different drugs and things have been pretty stable for the last couple
of years. So far, it can still be controlled with eye drops.

Don't know if you've heard about this or not, but there's a new drug
called Anecortave Acetate, that's now in the testing stages.

I have been asked by my doctor to participate in a clinical study of
this new drug. This drug is supposed to be similar to the Travatan Z
drops that I now use, only they inject it under the outer layer of
skin in the white part of the eye. It's already been tried on patients
with uncontrolled glaucoma (thinking they had nothing to loose), and
apparently they've had good results.

They feel that with these injections, Open-Angle Glaucoma patients may
be able to discontinue the daily drops and possibly go up to 1 YEAR on
a single injection. Way cool! The drops are a PITA.

My Ophthalmologist has been involved in Glaucoma research for the last
12 years, and is conducting this study under the supervision of Alcon
Research, Ltd., makers of Travatan Z.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/99908.php

I went through the preliminary tests this past Thursday (check
pressure, visual field, & retinal scan). My doctor has taken me off
the drops for the next 4 weeks. After this "wash-out" period, I'll
have to go back for the Eligibility 1 Visit. If I still meet their
requirements, I'll have to go back in one week for the Eligibility 2
visit. The only bad part about all these tests is getting my eyes
dilated, and walking around in a daze for about 5 hours. I get to be
the Rasta Machinist, walking around the shop wearing sun glasses!

If I still fall within the parameters for this study after the second
eligibility visit, my name gets thrown into a hat to see if I get the
24 mg, 48 mg, 60 mg injection, or if I get the placebo (water). Guess
they need to prove that the presence of a 'liquid' in that part of the
eye won't have any effect on the IOP.

Not too excited about going for so long without my drops, cause I
really don't want to do any more damage to my retina. And I really
hope they don't make the poor sap who gets the placebo go for the
entire length of the study (12 mos.) without treatment (drops), but
this doctor seems to know what he's doing, so......... what the heck.
I may be able to people like your wife who've been going through what
I have for the last 5 years.

It's not like having to put these drops in every night is *that* big
of a deal, but I constantly forget. You know, work too many hours, go
home, fall asleep on the couch, get up at 2am and go to bed, and never
even think about those damn drops. And it would be really nice not to
have to go to the doctor 8 times (or more) per year.

===========================================

WARNING to Bottle:
Make sure you have a bucket nearby, in case you upchuck after reading
this..... :)

Not saying don't see/listen to yer docs, and I'm certainly no 'spert on
glaucoma, but there are a wealth of hits on google for natural remedies (I
googled glaucoma vitamin therapy), most of which should be implemented
*anyway*, in some measure.

Wiki gives a list of potentially useful natural substances, as does
http://www.naturaltherapycenter.com/main.php?name=index_bbe0cad9 .

The site claims a reduction of pressure of 20-80% with just vit C, altho the
doses can be very large.

Now, Vits are certainly not a cure-all.
BUT,
**to the extent that you may be unwittingly or subclinically *deficient*
in one or some vits/mins**, "curing" that deficiency is but a pill away,
and indeed is then, defacto, The Cure for the deficiency-induced symptoms.

I can tell you first, second, and third hand, that most people are deficient
in several vits/mins/EFA's, with lab values, while not being statistical
fiction, still being quite un-revealing ito specific requirements, for
sundry reasons. Another discussion as to how one can actually verify this
for themselves.

And, the manifestations of deficiencies, while pretty well documented, can
still be unpredictable.

To the extent that the damage pf glaucoma is neural in origin, the new spate
"brain specials" on PBS (change your brain), and the diet/behavior
recommendations therein, might have direct effect on this as well.

The MD hosting this series (actually stumping for PBS) seems
grounded/orthodox enough, and strongly recommends fish oils, exercise, total
elimination of *diet sodas* (all sodas, imo), etc. Claims to be able to
literally see improvements in his brain scans.

Much of this is echoed elsewhere as well.

The wiki article seems very good, and, uh, quite opened my eyes.
They distinguish between causal effects and correlative effects (such as
systemic hbp), and note that a sig. fraction of glaucoma (the actual damage
to optic nerve/retina) is not associated with intraocular pressure--iow,
high pressure is not a guarantee to get it, and normal pressure is not a
guarantee to not get it.
Some of the demographics of glaucoma are stunning--pity the Inuits.

My philosophy is, listen to yer doc, esp. with stuff as serious as this, but
don't dismiss moonbeam stuff either, cuz weird shit (good shit) often
happens.
The name of the game is experimentation, hopefully guided/intelligent
experimentation.
It is unfortunate that so often the victim has to be their own advocate and
researcher.

Last but not least, and some here will really gag on this one, but the
exercise mentioned above is indeed a profound medicine-- it is the
biomechanical window into our biochemical innards.

For example, above and beyond all the infomercial hype and bullshit, of all
the strategies to improve brain function/delay brain deterioration (incl
alzheimers), plain ole exercise is now being seen to be at the very top.
The implication being that it could--and likely does--help with a bevy of
neurological symptoms.

Strange and unexpected shit happens with exercise (real exercise, not the
infomercial bull), almost all of it good to extraordinary--barring bad
knees, backs, etc-- and there are workarounds for those.

In my case, simple running and weight lifting (and of course my effing
HoloBarre) has *eclipsed* all the medically supervised bullshit rehab for my
broke neck and the attendant nerve damage.

In fact, in but a few months after the accident, I was already up and able,
ready to kick BD's effing ass. But alass, gas was too expensive even then,
from Rochester to Yonkers....

In regards to fluid balance in the eye, a kind of biomechanical phenom,
exercise quite forces the body into restorative fluid balance, in a number
of systems, from the exocrine, endocrine, hormonal, lymphatic, as well as
traditional circulation, and in major organs, from the kidneys to the skin.

It is thus not a stretch at all for the eyes to be involved in this.
I know of one individual with non-functioning tear ducts, dependent on
drops, with progressive damage to the cornea, who became normalized after
simple running!

Sincere good luck with this--really a pita, that I hope works out for the
best.

--
PV'd as usual, but not feeling so bad about it right now....







Matt


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Relevant Pages

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