Macular Degeneration- Connection with the Liver

by Barb
(Melbourne, Australia)

Hi,

My name is Barb. I am 58 years old and live in Australia.

In August, 2009, I went for a a routine eye examination by an optometrist, who informed me I had drusen in both eyes.

The optometrist who tested my eyes did not know if it was hard or soft drusen, but told me it could be an early indicator for Age Related Macular Degeneration.

This naturally concerned me greatly, as my mother, and more than likely, my father, had Age Related Macular Degeneration. Unfortunately, this puts me at a higher risk of ending up with Macular Degeneration.


I saw three different opthamologists after this and received vague responses when I asked about the type of drusen. One of the specialists told me it was not consistent with either hard or soft drusen and could be Best's Disease.

Comments from the others varied.

So my search for information went on. I went for a consultation with a Professor of Opthalmology in Australia. I was told I had hard drusen in the right eye and soft drusen in the left eye.

I was advised not to smoke (which I don't) and to eat green, leafy vegetables. There was some talk of supplements. That was it. "Come back in one year."

Not being one to sit back and accept the worst, I went on a journey to try and learn all I could about Age Related Macular Degeneration.

I investigated supplements, diet, lifestyle, exercise, holistic medicine; in other words attempted to look into anything that may have contributed to my diagnosis.

This lead me to Traditional Chinese Medicine. TCM believes that those with an unhealthy liver are more prone to failing eyesight. So my research on the liver started.

Since then I have learned much about the liver, mainly through books by Dr Sandra Cabot, an Australian Doctor. Dr Cabot has written extensively on the liver and related issues. Dr Cabot says the liver is considered by Chinese Medicine to be The General Army of the Body.

Basically, if the liver is not working properly, or becomes overloaded, toxins build up in our system. This in turn produces inflammation.

So here I started to see the link of the liver and possible eye disease.

So I became enthused about the liver and its functions.

I commenced on a liver cleansing diet, together with supplements for the liver. At this stage, I have been on the liver cleansing diet for six weeks.

I feel much better, my skin has improved, I have lost weight.

I have more energy.

Interestingly, my eyes look clearer and I have not had that scratchy feeling in my eyes.

However, in the meantime, whilst sitting at my computer yesterday, I found I did not have my reading glasses.

On the desk were an old pair of glasses -too weak for my eyes these days -I had tried them a few months ago and could not see out of them.

They were my weaker prescription glasses from six years ago. I decided to pop them on before I bothered getting up to look for my current reading glasses.

Amazingly, I could see as well as I can with my current prescription glasses.

There has been a definite improvement in my sight in the last six weeks. This is enough proof for me that improving the health of the liver can also improve our overall health, slow down aging and possibly improve sight in our eyes.

I felt I had to share this information with others. Being diagnosed with Macular Degeneration is frightening. Those who are in a similar situation will understand. I hope this information is enough for others to consider one of our hardest working organs - the liver.

If there is anything at all we can do to help eradicate, or even stall this disease, or other so-called degenerative diseases, surely it is worth a try.

I look forward to comments.

Barb