As we age our eyes start to deteriorate due to a lifetime of slow incremental damage caused mostly by oxidative damage, UV damage, inflammation, a buildup of waste products, dry eye conditions, and premature apoptosis (cell death)
Assessing Your Risk of Cataracts and AMD
According to Mayo Clinic, about half of all 65-year-old Americans have some degree of cataract formation in their eyes. As you enter your 70s, the percentage is even higher. A cataract is a clouding of the lens of your eyes that affects your vision. Unfortunately cataracts grow slowly and are not very noticeable in the beginning; slowly over time they block more light and your vision worsens.
Age-related Macular Degeneration abbreviated ARMD or just AMD for short, is the leading cause of blindness for people over 55 years old. AMD affects our vision in the opposite way to glaucoma in that it targets the central and most important part of our vision, whereas glaucoma targets peripheral vision. AMD occurs when the central portion of your retina, known as the macula starts to deteriorate. Protecting the macula as we age is crucial; as it is the light sensing tissue in the back of our eye that only makes up a very small portion of our retina.
The Top 5 Best Anti Aging Eyecare protective ingredients are listed below:
Fortunately, the best supplemental super nutrients that protect aging eyes have been extensively researched and can help prevent and even treat Cataracts, AMD, night vision problems and much more.
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Lutein and Zeaxanthin - A Powerful Combination for Aging Eyes
A multitude of studies over the last 15 years have shown that people with a higher intake of lutein and zeaxanthin are at a decreased risk for cataracts and AMD.
A recent double-blind, placebo controlled study in 2014 showed significant vision improvement and macular pigment optical density with a daily intake of 10mg of lutein and 2 mg of zeaxanthin. Also in this same year another landmark study showed that the addition of meso-zeaxanthin made the results even more powerful.
Meso-Zeaxanthin is difficult to get from food sources and may be converted in the retina from ingested lutein, but it has been theorized that as we age we lose a lot of our ability to create meso-zeaxanthin and therefore supplementation may be crucial for aging eye health.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in the highest concentration in the macula, which is the central area of the retina that is responsible for detailed vision and consequently the part that fails in AMD. It is here in the macula that these two eye protecting ingredients are believed to limit damage to our retina by quenching reactive oxygen species and by absorbing incoming damaging blue light.
Most western diets are very low in lutein and zeaxanthin, and therefore as we age daily supplementation may become necessary. The two foods that have by far the highest concentrations are cooked Spinach and Kale; and if you consume a full cups worth daily then you would get an adequate amount to protect your eyes. The problem is most people are not going to consume a cup of these daily, and the next best sources would be 5 cups of corn, 6 cups of broccoli or a dozen eggs daily.
Getting the proper researched amounts of these important nutrients through diet alone is not really possible; and therefore we recommend MacuGuard Ocular Support Formula; as it is the only eye supplement that contains the proper researched dosages of lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin; plus it also contains beneficial dosages of C3G and Astaxanthin which you are about to learn about below.
Take Super Nutrient C3G for Low Light and Night Vision Help
As we age our ability to see in low light and darkness becomes seriously impaired, and the reason for this is twofold:
First of all the muscles that control our pupil size and reaction to light become weaker, and as a result our aging pupils become smaller letting in less light.
Secondly, our ability to see in the dark is further impaired by the dramatic loss of Rhodopsin. This is the important compound in our eyes that absorbs light in our retina, and its reduction is the primary reason for the progressive loss of our night vision as we age.
The result is a person in their 60's needs three times more ambient light for comfortable reading than a person in their 20s. When it comes to dark conditions, the discrepancy becomes even worse and a person in their 20s receives 8 times more light than that of an 80 year old.
The good news is that researches have discovered a remarkable compound called C3G that is the best supplement for combating and helping prevent severe night vision loss.
C3G is the abbreviation for cyanidin-3-glucoside, and it is the pigment that gives dark fruits like blackberry and black currants their distinctive purple color. C3G is a flavonoid molecule that is more properly classified in the family of anthocyanins.
Several recent studies have shown C3G's remarkable ability to bind to and regenerate the molecular structure of rhodopsin in both the dark and light states. If you recall, rhodopsin is a light sensitive protein in your retina that absorbs light.
The New Bilberry is Black Currant and it’s Your Best Source for 3CG
Black Currants are the new Bilberry that actually works. Bilberry become popular due to the folklore that pilots in WWII used it to have better night vision. Although partially true, new research studies have shown that black currant is much more effective at preventing night vision loss, so we no longer recommend taking bilberry.
Black Currants are the best source for 3CG which is the main form of anthocyanins found in dark fruits. Interestingly it is the C3G pigment in these fruits that protects them from direct sunlight, and these powerful sun protecting effects are passed along to our aging eyes.
Aside from helping with night vision, the nutrients in black currants can also help with dry eye relief by contributing to natural and normal tear production; while also promoting better blood flow and waste removal. Black Currants also help improve the refractory power of the eyes; thereby helping us to better focus on objects that are both far and near.
Astaxanthin - The Ultimate Super Nutrient for Eye Health and Much More...
Astaxanthin is nature’s most powerful antioxidant. Dr. Oz summed it up best when he called it "The #1 Supplement you've never heard of, that you should be taking."
Astaxanthin is by far the most powerful antioxidant known to man and is 65 times more powerful than vitamin C and 54 times more powerful than beta-carotene. When it comes to its free radical scavenging and "singlet oxygen quenching" ability, it is 550 times more powerful than vitamin E, 800 times more powerful than CoQ10 and is even 500 times more powerful than the beneficial catechins found in green tea.
Astaxanthin is truly a super nutrient and it is the pink-reddish carotenoid pigment that occurs naturally in certain micro algae and when consumed is what causes the pink color in salmon, lobster, shrimp and in the feathers of flamingos.
This super antioxidant is the clear winner and the best supplement for protecting aging eyes. Numerous studies as well as prestigious doctors such as Dr. Mercola, and Dr. Mark Tso of John Hopkins Universities prestigious Wilmer Eye Institute, call astaxanthin the clear winner when it comes to protecting your eyes.
Dr. Tso concluded that Astaxanthin Supplementation could be effective in Preventing and Treating a Variety of Eye Diseases, including:
• Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Cystoid macular edema
• Central retinal arterial and venous occlusion
• Glaucoma
• Inflammatory eye diseases (i.e., retinitis, iritis, keratitis, scleritis, etc.)
Astaxanthin goes way beyond just protecting your eyes and is probably the most powerful single supplement that you can possibly take. Various research studies have also shown it to:
• Help Relieve Pain and Fight Inflammation
• Fight Fatigue, enhance Strength, Endurance and Energy
• Incredible Cancer Fighting Properties
• Boosts Immune Function
• Sun Protector - potent UVB absorber
• Reduces DNA damage and passes the blood brain and blood retinal barrier
How To Get Your Daily Dose of Astaxanthin
Unfortunately Astaxanthin is fairly expensive to produce and it is nearly impossible to get enough from diet alone.
The only real food source we have is Wild Salmon. Astaxanthin is what gives salmon their superhuman ability to leap waterfalls with seemingly endless energy. Without astaxanthin salmon are mere average swimmers and farmed salmon only contains a fraction of the astaxanthin of wild salmon; even worse is that most of the farmed salmon consume a cheap synthetic petrochemical form of astaxanthin to help turn the flesh pink; therefore, only wild salmon can really give you this beneficial nutrient.
The recommended dosage of astaxanthin is between 6mg to 12 mg daily. If you eat 6 ounces of wild salmon, then you would get approximately the minimum dosage amount; but most people are not going to consume a full portion of wild salmon daily. Therefore the only real answer is supplementation.
The question then remains which brand astaxanthin supplement should you choose?
When looking for Astaxanthin supplements make sure that your brand is not synthetic; also make sure that it is not extracted with toxic Hexane. Instead look for natural supplements that have undergone the nontoxic Co2 extraction process.
We recommend taking MacuGuard Ocular Support with Astaxanthin; which is currently the only eye supplement that we sell; it contains the proper dosage amounts of Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Meso-Zeaxanathin, European Black Currant / 3CG; as well as a full 6mg dose of Co2 extracted astaxanthin. Sure it costs a bit more than most eye supplements, but then you get what you pay for. Just the 6mg dosage of Astaxanthin costs around $18 a month if purchased separately.
All the Above supplemental nutrients in their proper dosage amounts are contained in Life Extension's MacuGuard with Astaxanthin. If you are serious about protecting your aging eyes, then this is the best eye supplement to get.
We also recommend CAN-C Eye Drops which have the patented and most studied form of N-acetylcarnosine; which Is the ultimate cataract prevention nutrient that you are about learn about below
Eye Drops Containing N-Acetylcarnosine (NALC) Can Help Prevent Cataracts!
Over the last decade scientist at the Helmhotz Institute of Eye Disease in Moscow have been testing and developing a proprietary form n-acetylcarnosine, abbreviated NALC for short that presents a major leap forward in the prevention and possible treatment of senile cataracts.
In the book "The Cataract Cure: The Russian Eye-Drop Breakthrough: The Story of N-Acetylcarnosine" the author outlines several animal and human studies that show extremely promising results with all studies showing a reduction of the clouding of the lens and almost everyone showed an improvement of sensitivity to glare.
Cataract Formation - NALC to the Rescue
As we age we have to watch out for AGEs, and that’s no joke - AGEs stand for Advanced Glycation End Products, and they are sort of cellular gunk that builds up in cells and degrades their functioning and accelerates various aspects of the Aging process.
AGEs cause our structural proteins to become damaged by an uncontrolled reaction between proteins and sugars, and this has been implicated in almost all the major diseases of aging such as:
Alzheimer's disease
Cancer
Heart Disease
Type II diabetes
High Blood Pressure
Strokes
Cataract formation
Diabetic retinopathy
Glaucoma
In the case of our eyes, cataracts are formed by these AGEs as they physically alter adjacent proteins, cause free radical formation, and lipid peroxidation; with the resulting interaction eventually gunking up and discoloring our eye lens to a yellowish brown that forms a cataract; thus impairing our vision.
Fortunately recent research has shown that Carnosine is able to break up AGEs and has an anti-glycation effect, and it is also a powerful antioxidant.
The form of carnosine that holds the most promise for eye health is NALC, and it is probably the most effective method for helping to prevent the formation of cataracts; while also protecting our eyes from diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
N-Acetylcarnosine is a leap forward for cataract prevention and treatment as it is able to transport carnosine directly inside the cells of the eye. Regular carnosine is only water soluble so cannot penetrate into the lipid portion of the eye to protect our lens. Plus regular l-carnosine breaks down into carnosinase quickly and as a result loses its beneficial effect. NALC is relatively soluble in both lipids and water and is resistant to becoming carnosinase. NALC once in the cells eventually breaks down into carnosine, delivering its beneficial effect to the portions of the eye that needs its protection most.
Which N-Acetylcarnosine Eye Drops are Best?
We only recommend the CAN-C Eye Drops and we have several reason for this recommendation.
First of all, almost all the studies on humans and dogs were actually done with the exact type of NALC in CAN-C. According to Dr Babizhayer of Innovative Vision Products(IVP) , he makes it quite clear that their proprietary process of creating n-acetylcarnosine is based on years of research and testing of many synthesized versions of carnosine to find the one that is the most biologically active, and then their special process creates the highest purity possible.
CAN-C Eye Drops also contains other important ingredients for protecting aging eyes and for these supporting reasons it is the only NALC eye drop that we carry.
Well, if you actually read this entire article then you now know pretty much everything that you need to know about how to protect your eyes and vision as you age.
