Diet Plan

There are many diet plans around catering to various requirements. Food plays an important role in our lives. Understanding our body requirements and adapting our lifestyles with healthy food options that provide vital nutrition and energy can go a long way in maintaining good health. This has assumed more importance today on account of the deteriorating diet patterns, especially that of growing kids. Keep obesity, high cholesterol and other diseases such as anemia and osteoporosis at bay by choosing healthy food substitutes.

For example to keep Osteoporosis at bay, eating a calcium-rich diet can help. Including milk, particularly skimmed milk and low fat yogurt can help you build your calcium deposits. Spinach is a source of non-dairy calcium. Anemia is of particular concern to women, especially those who resort to dieting. Consuming meat, fish and poultry or leafy green vegetables, nuts and breakfast cereals can provide you with adequate iron.

Similarly Lutein is a pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and turnip greens, corn and egg yolks. Lutein as an antioxidant reduces the effects of free radicals. Lutein in adequate quantities in the diet can help ward off Macular Degeneration or MD , a condition in which the center of retina suffers permanent damage due to a number of causes - natural degradation triggered by aging or by undue exposure to strong light. Another carotenoid, zeaxanthin again has similar beneficial effects on the eyes. In addition some studies have indicated that these carotenoids can also help prevent cataracts.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy is a common complication with Diabetes where the production or use of insulin levels are not regulated resulting in fluctuating blood sugar levels. Diabetic Retinopathy results in 90% of the cases of type 1 Diabetes and 65% of the cases of type 2 diabetes. Retinopathy is the damage or hemorrhaging of small blood vessels of the retina. It is a non-inflammatory disease of the retina. There are many types of retinopathy. Non Proliferative Retinopathy refers to the condition where the damaged or leaking vessels do not spread. Symptoms include vision spots, loss of vision in some cases, floaters - floating regions of blurred vision or loss of fine vision. On the other hand, Proliferative Retinopathy refers to the spread of the damaged retina - specifically the rupture of the newly formed blood vessels resulting in sudden loss of vision.

Hardening of the retinal arteries is known as Arteriosclerotic Retinopathy. Increased pressure in the affected region may result in the retina detaching itself from the back of the eye that can cause partial or total blindness.

Hypertensive Retinopathy: Hypertension can cause damage to the blood vessels of retina resulting in Hypertensive Retinopathy which has symptoms that include blurred vision or decreased visual perception.

Risk Factors for Retinopathy

• Diabetes mellitus
  
• Hypertension
  
• Hypercoagulability (abnormal tendency of the blood to clot - thrombosis), Thrombophilia
  
• Hyperlipidemia (Abnormally high blood lipid levels)
  
• Hyperviscosity
  
• Trauma
  

Diagnosis and Treatment

Retinal Specialists may use ophthalmoscope or Fluorescein Angiography for a detailed evaluation of the eye condition. Laser Surgery is usually the first choice of treatment to seal the bleeding blood vessels in the retina (retinal hemorrhages). Treatment of diabetic retinopathy would also involve treating the overall condition. Nutritional supplements like Vitamins A, C, E and Lutein may also be tried.