SpaceAge Natural Health Center

SpaceAge ®
Natural Health Center

Dry Eyes / Eye Infections
and Vitamin A Deficiency
(Reproduced from my Posts in Medical & Health Groups on LinkedIn and Facebook )

Symptoms

Some of the most noticeable symptoms of vitamin A (retinol) deficiency are intolerance to bright lights and dry eyes.

The symptoms are:

1. photophobia or intolerance to bright lights or temporary blindness when staring at bright lights;

2. xerophthalmia and keratomalacia. Xerophthalmia is an eye disease characterized by drying of the eyes. The cells of the lacrimal glands become keratinized and stop secreting tears. The external surfaces thus become dry and have a dull appearance.

3. Ulcers form; bacteria are not washed away; the eyelids swell and become sticky and scaly. Frequently there are bloody exudates and severe eye infections. If not treated in time, blindness can result.

The reason for such infections is that retinol deficiency has an effect on other epithelial structures as well as those of the eye. In other words, the eye affection is only one manifestation of the specific influence that this vitamin has on many epithelial structures. This deficit results in “the substitution if stratified keratinizing epithelium for the normal epithelium in various parts of the respiratory tract, alimentary tract, eyes and paraocular glands, and the genitourinary tract.”

One of the results of this keratinization is the loss of cilia in the respiratory epithelium. These ordinarily tend to sweep upward bacteria laden foreign particles and thus combat infection.

Causes of Deficiency

Prolonged abstinence from fats in diet; oils – olive, seseme (till), sunflower, peanut; butter, clarified butter (ghee), etc. under the belief that these are bad for health and cause clogging of arteries, and contain “dangerous cholesterol”. Cholesterol is important raw material required by the body for synthesis of all types of hormones required to operate the body. Fats in diet are the prime source of fat soluble vitamins A, D and E. Prolonged deficiency of fats in reasonable quantity in daily diet leads to deficiency in vitamins A, D and E. Also prescription drugs which interfere with the absorption of fats in diet like orlistat also result in deficiency of such fat soluble vitamins.

Dosage

Typically vitamin A (retinol acetate) fortified with zinc, vitamin C and E is very effective for the treatment of dry eyes. A daily dose of 50,000 IUs of vitamin A as either retinol acetate or retinol palmitate is found effect if taken for a period of 2 to 4 weeks maximum. Vitamin A is more potent when administered in a synergistic manner with other supporting nutrients like zinc, vitamin C and E. Such formulations are more potent if they have the ability to change cell membrane permeability and deliver nutrients to the center of the cell where is it really required. This is known as intracellular nutrition or Orthomolecular Nutrition after the Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling who coined the word Orthomolecular Medicine in 1968.

Toxicity

Vitamin A at therapeutic dose levels is toxic and high doses above the RDA of 4,000 IUs should be administered with caution. The toxicity is more due to the fact that vitamin A it is fat soluble and is stored in the body (liver and body fat) for prolonged periods and does not get readily excreted. It is know to cause birth defects and should not be taken if you are planning to conceive in the near future or if already pregnant or lactating.

Blessings,
Pramod Vora
E-mail: spaceage2008@space-age.com
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SpaceAge ®
Natural Health Center
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USA
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