February 5, 2018 - Eye Health
Hey everybody, it’s Dr. Sam and I want to talk to you today about your adrenal glands and cortisol levels.
So when we’re under chronic stress what tends to happen is we’re producing cortisol levels that are out of control. This can create some significant health problems systemically, metabolically, and in our eyes. So let me explain.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that’s produced in the adrenals when we experience stress. This is actually a normal mechanism. But if the cortisol levels are constantly being increased, this has an effect on our inflammatory response in the body, it throws our salt levels off, and it makes it more difficult for us to control our blood sugar levels. So when our cortisol levels are unchecked, we can develop conditions like osteoporosis, high blood pressure, memory problems, and obesity.
So it is important to consider how you can self-regulate and control our stress to bring our cortisol levels back to normal – particularly in the eyes, where cortisol levels have a profound effect on our eyes and vision. Some of the symptoms that can occur include double vision, sensitivity to bright light, difficulty focusing up close, memory issues, and blurred vision. Another issue that comes up, as it relates to macular degeneration, is that when we have unchecked cortisol levels the our metabolic waste removal mechanisms do not work properly. This makes it easy for free radicals to accumulate in the macula. This makes it particularly important, if you have macular degeneration, to control cortisol levels to normal levels.
So what can you do?
I recommend starting with eye exercises, like palming, sunning, and long swings. You can do these a few times a day. They will relax the eyes and catalyze the process of getting rid of free radicals. And of course, it is well known that other activities, like exercise and a healthy diet, can help your body manage stress and normalize cortisol levels.