An individual afflicted with myasthenia gravis will have
vision problems, such as double vision. More than two decades ago, I was
diagnosed with myasthenia gravis. Now, I don't have double vision because my
eyes have adjusted themselves over the years. But it came with a cost: one of
my eyes has lost part of its vision; that is, subconsciously, I have been
using more of one eye and much less of the other. The price is that my vision has
become blurry. The explanation is that we are supposed to use both eyes,
and not one eye more than the other.
The bottom line: if you have myasthenia gravis, you
should take extra care of your eyes. I am past 70, and I do
eye exercises everyday. Read my book: Vision Self-Healing Self-Help to find out more
on vision health.
Your eyes are one of the most important of your body organs. Without good
vision, the quality of your life will be greatly compromised. But your vision
deteriorates as you continue to age. As a matter of fact, as you get into your
golden years (that is 65 and beyond)), you will have noticed the dramatic
decline in your vision. As early as in the 30s, vision loss begins and
accelerates in the 40s and 50s. Now, if you are already in your golden years
(that is, 65 and above) you might have much impaired vision, especially they
could have been further aggravated by your decline in health, such as getting
diabetes. Getting older will take its toll on your body in many ways and your
eyesight is just one of the many organs that start to deteriorate with age.
Some of the obvious
signs and symptoms of vision deterioration are: difficulty in focusing as well
as in seeing either long or short distances. These
common problems include nearsightedness (an eye condition in
which your eyeball is too long, such that light rays fall short of achieving a
point of focus on your retina, which is the sensory membrane at the back of the
eye), farsightedness (also known as hyperopia, a condition in which you can see
distant objects very well, but have difficulty focusing on objects that are up
close), and astigmatism (a condition in which your
eyes have an irregular shape, causing light rays entering your eyes to split
into different points of focus, and thus resulting in blurry vision).
Macular degeneration is another eye problem that may come with age. Macular
degeneration affects as many as 30 million Americans aged 65 and above. If you
are 65, you have 25 percent of developing macular degeneration; and your risk
increases to 30 percent if you are over 75. Macular degeneration is a
devastating condition because it may lead to blindness.
The macula is a small
central part of the retina that enables detailed vision. As such, it is
critical to correct vision. Due to various reasons, such as heredity,
hypertension, high cholesterol, sun damage, and smoking, the macula may
accelerate its decline, which might have started even at an early age. Macular
degeneration is a slow, progressive disease that affects both eyes, typically
one after the other. Due to its slow development, macular degeneration may take
years to become noticeable. By the time you notice it, the onset is already
well underway. Therefore, prevention is always better than cure. Vision health
is an important component of self-healing of the eye.
Another change in vision due to aging is the
inability to see in dim light. Vision is possible only when light passes
through the lens to the retina at the back of the eye. Through years of wear
and tear, your lens becomes denser and less sensitive, and thus decreasing the
amount of light getting to the retina. On average, a 60-year-old person needs 3
times more light to read than a young adult. This explains why you may react
more slowly to changes in light. In addition, if you have developed cataract,
which is a cloudy condition of the eye, you may have increasing sensitivity to
glare.
Perception of colors is yet another change in
you golden years. The reason is that your lens tends to yellow slightly; this
may cause you to have problem reading black letters against a blue background
or reading blue letters.
Other vision-related problems include floaters,
which are tiny solidified fluids within the eye, and dry eyes due to decline in
tear-production cells.
Consider the use of
eye exercises to help correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or presbyopia.
Eye exercises are easy and simple to do and you can even do them anywhere and
anytime. A few exercises each day can really help you improve your vision
significantly.
When you "exercise" your eyes, you move your eye muscles to create
up-and-down, side-to-side or circular motion. These movements "work"
the muscles controlling back-and-forth movement of your eye's natural lens, to
help achieve sight at multiple distances. In addition, eye exercise can change
the basic shape of your cornea, thereby instrumental in changing the angle of
light entering your eyes for better and more correct focus.
To maintain natural vision health, eat a healthy diet. Antioxidants and
vitamins and minerals are critical to boosting vision health. You need
high doses of beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc. Nutritional
therapy is an important component of natural self-healing and vision health.
Beta-carotene facilitates your body to convert plants into vitamin A, thereby
instrumental in boosting normal cell reproduction in the eye, protecting the
eye from free radicals, and enhancing night vision, Vitamin C is an important
immune system booster, and an agent for making collagen to maintain healthy
blood vessels in the eye. Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant to protect cell
membranes. Zinc is a mineral required by more than 300 enzymes to repair
wounds, to optimize vision health, and to protect the eye from free
radicals.
Nutritional therapy also includes supplements of lutein, Taurine, DHA, and
ginkgo biloba. Lutein is a carotenoid found in vegetables and fruits, such as
collard greens, kale, and spinach. Lutein promotes vision health through its
potent antioxidant properties. Taurine transports nutrients to the eye as well
as eliminates toxic accumulation in the eye; it promotes retinal health and
night vision. DHA, which is an essential Omega-3 fatty acid, enhances the
development of the retina.
Ginkgo biloba is an ancient Chinese herb for vision health.
Most vision problems,
whether nearsightedness, farsightedness, or presbyopia, have to do with eye
stress and strain affecting the shape of the eyes, and hence their capability
to focus correctly. Of course, the eyes cannot be relaxed if the body and mind
are not. Therefore, it is important to have a holistic approach to vision
self-healing.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
Myasthenia
gravis is one of the many autoimmune diseases, which, according to contemporary
Western medicine, offer no known cure, except controlling or suppressing their
many disease symptoms. This book is based on the author's own experience of
battling against his myasthenia gravis: how he stopped all his medications
through a holistic approach to controlling and managing the disease. This book
provides insight and well-researched information that he would like to share
with those who are afflicted with myasthenia gravis or any other autoimmune
disease.
