A visit to the eye doctor is usually a harrowing one for me. You see my mother's family has a long history with Retinitis Pigmentosa (an inherited retinal disorder that eventually leads to complete blindness). My grandfather was completely blind by the age of 60 and presently my uncle and aunt suffer from deteriorating night vision and peripheral vision. In approximately 50% to 60% of RP cases, there are family members with RP.
So every time during that never ending process when, the doctor puts those four stinging eye drops to dilate my retina and then flashes that burning bright light into my eyes, then asks me to read the various letters on the eye chart, my mind is thinking where is the next place I have to visit and how I will make do without my eyes, I have to teach my students and how will I get them to experience beautiful words and pictures when I myself cannot see and appreciate what I'm talking about! All these thoughts go through my mind and the palms of my hands are clenched into tight sweaty fists. Then the doctor turns to me and says something that could either change or shatter my life "My dear, you have really healthy eyes, there is no trace of RP whatsoever. Go and lead a happy life!". So this is the response I have been waiting for! My mother is exhilarated, she was even more of a wreck in the waiting room than I was. Instead of being happy that I will have good eyes to carry on my vocation, I'm remembering my aunt. A few years back we were in a similar place and she had the eye drops and the blinding light pass through her retina, but the doctor had a different diagnosis. She was shattered and it just did not seem right for me to celebrate now for my victory of this genetic monster. My aunt was a seamstress and she stitched the most beautiful garments in our little town. I was always the belle of the class because everything I wore as a child was stitched by her. She has never once complained to us about the inconveniences of reduced vision and she's still so hard working and still works hard on her passion for sewing.
There is still no cure found for Retinitis Pigmentosa. Although various treatments have come into the market, of which none have been successful. However the progression of this disease can be reduced by proper intake of Vitamin A supplementation. Vitamin A gives a small but beneficial boost to your retina and can postpone blindness for a length of 8 to 10 years. Vitamin A can be found naturally in many foods. Following is the chart taken from wikipedia concerning the various amounts of Vitamin A found in foods:
- liver (beef, pork, chicken, turkey, fish) (6500 μg 722%), including cod liver oil
- carrot (835 μg 93%)
- broccoli leaf (800 μg 89%) - According to USDA database broccoli florets have much less.
- sweet potato (709 μg 79%)
- butter (684 μg 76%)
- kale (681 μg 76%)
- spinach (469 μg 52%)
- pumpkin (400 μg 41%)
- collard greens (333 μg 37%)
- Cheddar cheese (265 μg 29%)
- cantaloupe melon (169 μg 19%)
- egg (140 μg 16%)
- apricot (96 μg 11%)
- papaya (55 μg 6%)
- mango (38 μg 4%)
- pea (38 μg 4%)
- broccoli (31 μg 3%)
- milk (28 μg 3%)
Below are two Snellen charts you can use to test your Visual Acuity i.e the acuteness or clearness of vision. The Snellen chart is read while standing 20 ft. away from the chart. Cover one eye with your hand and read. The lowest line on the chart that you can read correctly will be your visual acuity.
It must have been really tough for you, that even though you weren't affected with the genetic eye disorder, your aunt was. Yeah, the best way for people to delay the onset of any eye disease is to take care of their eyes, have a proper diet and a healthy intake of Vit. A. You should always listen to the eye doctor, too. It's never too late for prevention! On the lighter side of things, there are a lot of interesting things about the Snellen chart, other than its array of letters. :)
ReplyDeleteDanny Collins