February 26, 2018 - Eye Health
Hey folks, it’s Dr. Sam and I want to talk to you today about sunlight and eye health.
When light enters the eyes it stimulates the photoreceptors of the retina. This sends impulses through the optic nerve back to the brain – that’s how we see. Now, part of the light goes through a special pathway called the retinal-hypothalamic pathway, which stimulates the hypothalamus – the master gland of the body. The hypothalamus then sends signals to the pineal and the pituitary glands, which help us balance our circadian rhythms.
So in terms of sunlight in the eyes I recommend moderation. This means between the hours of 9 to 5 I would definitely wear polarized sunglasses with ultraviolet filters that protect you from UV damage. But before 9 am and after 5 pm, it’s important to get at least 30 to 60 minutes of light into your eyes every day, especially in the winter time. This is when we can so can suffer conditions like seasonal affective disorder. We’re not getting enough light into our eyes and this affects our mood.
Dr. Joseph Trachtman did a wonderful article relating light stimulation to the hypothalamus and eye health. He found that light stimulation is needed to help improve retinal health, increase tear production, reduce ocular inflammation, and improve neurological health. We are heliotropic organisms – we need light like we need food! When we don’t get enough, we enter a state of malillumination, which is like malnutrition but occurs when we are light-deficient. This was coined by Dr. John Ott, who was an inventor and a photographer, who wrote a book called Health and Light, where he talks about the importance of light as a food that balances our eyes, vision, and overall health.
I would also recommend supplementing with lutein and zeaxanthin to protect your macula. I would also take glutathione to protect the lens of your eyes. Beta-carotene, vitamin C, omega-3s and trace minerals like zinc, chromium, and magnesium also play a critical role in eye health.
So include light alongside your other nutrients and minerals as essential for eye health and you will be covering all of your bases.
Thanks for tuning in. And until next time take good care.