Quote:
Originally Posted by curves2000
Hi Knut,
Thanks so much for starting this thread! As you know, vision is so important and has such a drastic effect on quality of life for people so thanks again from CP for all your contributions.
You may have answered a few questions I had a while back in a previous thread or another hockey related form, I can't recall sorry. If not, I am wondering if you can provide any guidance on an issue related to my poor Mama who's having a difficult time with her vision as a result of diabetes and high blood pressure.
She has severe diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. She has been seeing an retina specialist for a while now but the results have been mixed with monthly injections
She has fairly tight sugar and BP control and eats healthy diet rich in nutrients. I have her taking some additional supplements to maintain and hopefully improve her vision as much possible with 50mg of Lutein and cod liver oil which has a high vitamin A content of 2500 IU/daily.
Is there any other treatment options you think might be worthwhile to pursue? Any benefit to increasing the lutein intake? Any retina specialists you know in Alberta that deal with complex cases? She is only 66 and the thought her losing her vision and the effect on the family has been severe.
Thanks a million in advance for all available information you can provide!
If any CP members also have any personal experience with diabetic eye disease or have any treatment or assistance they can provide, please do!!
Many thanks to all!
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First off, sorry to hear she is going through this. Diabetic Retinopathy can really hard to manage and requires a lot of visits to the specialist.
The big problem with Diabetic Retinopathy/Macular Edema is at a certain point it keeps getting worse even with good control. That is because of aberrant blood vessel growth that leads to constant hemorrhaging and fluid build up. Controlling sugar is part of the battle but she has to keep seeing the specialist to maintain the sight she currently has. There are treatments for this, its just they have to be done on a regular basis. You can PM me the name of the specialist if you like.
As for supplements. Make sure she is taking something with Lutein and Zeaxanthin in it. Do not exceed the daily dose however as there is some evidence it could cause blood thinning in high amounts. Better than supplements is to get it in your diet. Spinach, kale, broccoli and arugula all have high amounts of those nutrients. Omega 3's have shown little to no benefit in patients, but they generally do not cause any harm either (except in those on blood thinners).
Good luck.