Macular degeneration is not inevitable

Wellbeing Magazine speaks to Dr Ed Paul the world’s leading authorities on macular degeneration, nutritional medicine, and low vision rehabilitation.

My Grandfather has macular degeneration, it probably started 10 years ago and as a family we accepted the diagnosis as a fact of life and old age. We have watched him slowly lose his senses and how he just sits without hearing and without seeing, lost in his own world, with no interest in his wife, daughter or grandchildren or even his own life.

He was a wonderful dancer, he used to be a painter and decorator, transforming peoples homes, he grew vegetables and flowers and was a happy and contented man. Now he won’t even go outside into his garden and he won’t come to my wedding because he doesn’t want to… because he can’t see.

So what if someone had told my family that this wasn’t inevitable and that this process could have been slowed, or maybe prevented, how different would our lives be?

Macular degeneration along with diseases like cataracts and even poor eye sight need not be a process of aging.

Dr Ed Paul has been developing strategies to stablise, slow down and in some cases reverse these diseases. The bases of his research is nutrition looking at anti oxidants, Lutine, Omega 3, Taurine and effects they have on eye health. Through his research and development he is proud to have developed TOZAL, a nutritional supplement that improves vision in patients with macular degeneration.

In a recent study a group, patients were put on a supplement programme for 6 months and 56% of the study group reported improved vision. While he admits that it would be wrong to suggest that by eating well and talking supplements a patient could stop wearing glasses and gain perfect vision, the overwhelming evidence suggests that a few simple changes to lifestyle can prevent or slow down some of the worst diseases.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the UK and has been found to be a lifestyle disease related to how you live in your 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. While the disease can also be genetic, with a 50% chance of the next generation developing the disease, it has now been proved that a healthy lifestyle was reduce the risk up to 70% in families with a genetic disposition.

It appears that the old mentality of putting the diseased “out to to pasture” is becoming a thing of the past and that doctors are now advising and suggesting areas that can be looked at as a way of preventing disease.

I asked Dr Ed Paul for his advice on the first steps to preventing disease like Macular degeneration.

STOP SMOKING – Smoking increases the risk by 350%
PROTECT YOUR EYES – Sunlight has been shown to cause damage, so wear sunglasses or a brimmed hat.
EAT LESS MEAT – Each as much of a vegetarian diet as you can. Proteins have been proved to be proinflamatory so cut back on red meat and eat more fish as the Omega 3 is great for the eyes.
MODERATE EXERCISE – like those who suffer from heart disease and strokes, ocular vascular diseases can be prevented by including exercise in your healthy lifestyle programme.
REST THE EYES – Computer users have significant eye strain, now recognised as CVS (Computer vision syndrome). CVS can cause headaches, irritability and transitional blurred vision – Every 30 minutes take a 5 minute break, go and get a glass of water and focus on objects at least 5 meters away.
EAT WELL – Lutin has been shown to help eye fatigue from the glare of the screen, eat green leafy veg, such as kale, broccoli, parsley.
SUPPLEMENT – If you are worried about the risk of eye diseases you should look at a programme of supplementation, there are a number of good supplements on the market, like TOZAL developed specifically for the eyes. Look for supplements containing Lutin as in 2001 a study on anti oxidants, revealed that Lutin may slow or reduce cataracts.

Dr Ed Paul gave his first lecture to doctors on the benefits of nutrition and eye health in 1999. Ed said” I may as well have had three eyes, it was just a bit too ahead of it’s time”. Now ten years on it is mandated by Law that Medicare insurance in the US discuss nutrition as part of the standard care with age related diseases, so it appears that we have come along way.

He is a passionate, well spoken man who believes it is his life’s purpose to prevent these lifestyle diseases. He is on a mission to spread the message, spending 8 – 10 days a month flying all over the US to educate doctors and opticians.

I wish him well with his mission and hope that through his continued research, development and lectures that he can save many families from the sadness that surrounds the loss of sight.

Dr. Edward Paul is one of c. Often years ahead of the conventional medical establishment, he has evaluated, researched, formulated, and written about treatments and cures for various eye diseases for over 20 years. Edward Paul is one of the world’s leading authorities on macular degeneration, nutritional medicine, and low vision rehabilitation. Often years ahead of the conventional medical establishment, he has evaluated, researched, formulated, and written about treatments and cures for various eye diseases for over 20 years.