Eye Didn't Know!

Diabetic Eye Exams

This is a superb video from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. You should pass it along (by clicking the share button) to anyone with diabetes or anyone with a family member with diabetes.

What were they thinking?

Did you know? I only watch one television show from network television, but it shall remain nameless here, so as not to spoil the plot of a recent episode. The reason I write, is that the climax of this episode occurs when a character reveals that she has been cured of her retinitis pigmentosa by a corneal transplant! If this were true, it would be a first.

The eye is like a camera. The retina is like film in a camera (okay, like the digital sensor), lining the BACK of the eye. In retinitis pigmentosa, the retina deteriorates. There is no known cure for retinitis pigmentosa at this time.

The cornea is the clear window on the FRONT of the eye. There are many conditions which lead to a damaged cornea (such as getting lye splashed into your eyes, or from keratoconus, which causes the cornea to be misshaped). A cornea transplant will cure these conditions, but it is not related in any way to the retina!

In this same show last season, its title character had a noxious substance thrown into his eyes. A doctor peers into his eyes and declares that his optic nerves had been damaged! This is also ludicrous, as the optic nerve enters the rear of the eye, whereas if a dangerous substance splashes into the eye (as opposed to forceful trauma) one may worry about damage to the cornea.

Did you also know? This same network produces the medical show, House, with its complex and ingenious medical story lines. Surely they can afford to have their medical consultants (or maybe House!) take a few minutes to proofread the other shows in their lineup.

(image from NIH)

Fishy news

Did you know that eating fish may help prevent macular degeneration? Two studies in this month’s Archives of Ophthalmology showed that advanced macular degeneration occured less often in those who ate fish regularly compared to those that ate fish rarely. One study examined the eyes and took a dietary survey of over seven thousand subjects. Those who ate fish at least weekly had less than half the prevalence of advanced macular degeneration compared to those who ate fish less than twice a month. Another study showed a 35% decrease in advanced macular degeneration for those who ate more broiled or baked fish (but not fried!). The authors postulate that fish oils may decrease inflammation and decrease the formation of abnormal new blood vessels, both of which occur in advanced macular degeneration. Whether or not fish-oil supplements are helpful in macular degeneration is not known.

(image courtesy wikipedia commons)

Did you also know? The first of these studies also found that drinking milk was related to less early macular degeneration. (Possibly related to its vitamin D content.)

(image courtesy wikipedia commons)