Normal Visual Mechanisms As We Age Cause Poor Eye Health

by Jeffrey H. Reinhardt, MSc

Good eyesight, with the ability to accurately read words and numbers, plus see images, scenes or people and pets, clearly under different lighting conditions is one of the most important sensory abilities for normal and enjoyable experiences in life. Gradual or sudden loss of visual acuity and the inability to see fine detail because of cloudy or fuzzy vision diminishes the enjoyment of life and impairs the ability to function normally. These changes may also increase the risk of injury or, in the worst case, predispose one to sudden death.

The eyes are complex and delicate external organs of the visual system that detect and respond to the brightness, contrast and color of light entering the eyes. The lenses of the eyes focus light from external images onto the photoreceptors, called rods and cones, in the retina, which lines the sides and back of the eyes. These retinal photoreceptors convert the different colors of light and their intensity into electrochemical impulses in the retina; these impulses are carried by the optic nerve to specialized areas of the brain where image converting neurons in the thalamus and the visual cortex of the occipital lobes process the electrical impulses into words, numbers, spatial images and motion.

The internal structures of the eye in humans and pets, especially the macula region at the center of the back of the retina are, paradoxically, damaged by the visual processes involved in seeing images and responding to the photochemical stimuli induced by visible light entering the eyes. In an ironic twist of fate, while living a long life, the eyes are damaged progressively by these normal visual mechanisms as we age. This damage is kindled and sustained, over a lifetime, by the same photon-induced, electrochemical free radical reactions that operate to initiate and sustain normal vision. In addition to this vision distorting assault, the cumulative effects of increased oxidative stress and the generation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by sustained high levels of sugars in the blood add to the burden of damage to the eyes, particularly to the macular region of the retina.

A healthy diet of wholesome, nutritious fresh foods and selected, vision-sustaining dietary supplements can provide the spectrum of eye healthy nutrients. These nutrients include the carotenoid molecules lutein and zeaxanthin, plus the potent antioxidants astaxanthin, bilberry anthocyanidins, L-carnosine, R-lipoic acid, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), quercetin and the acuity promoting herbal extracts from Ginkgo biloba and grape seed proanthocyanidins—all provided by the comprehensive healthy vision formula Extension Vision.

To complement the benefits of Extension Vision, the blend of antiglycation ingredients in AGEBlock®, provide an additional, powerful blend of nutraceuticals selected to block the damage caused by advanced glycation end products that result from imbalanced blood-sugar metabolism. AGEBlock serves as an aide to sustaining good vision while supporting eye health.