Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Goji — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 01:16:13 GMT

When the Eskimo people were 'discovered' they had an almost zero incidence of myopia this was despite spending much time indoors doing small carvings etc. They had no written language, a diet high in vit A, a need for survival of fittest/best hunter and life style behavior that required and promoted good eyesight. Now the kids are shut in schools reading and writing and the rate of myopia is about 30% just like the rest of us.... So much for long eyeballs! Its all environmental adaption then some diet, see Bruce Liptons book and work about the cells surface membranes ability to read and adapt like a micro chip.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Dorle — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:17:28 GMT

what I missed from Dr. Mercola was a recommendation for sunglasses, for children in particular. As for plenty of sunlight exposure as a child, I certainly didn't on account of having to stay close to/at home in case of air raids. I have been wearing glasses since I was about 20 and been taking Lutein-Z (approved by ophalmologist) because I'm a type 2 diabetic. And my vision is still very good. My father (type 1 in later years) wore glasses as long as I could remember. My daughter, who has two glasses-wearing parents, also wears them since she was in her teens; as a child, she was more often outdoors than inside anywhere.In other words, genetic predisposition (heredity) plays a major role, I think. Btw, in the original article, 2nd paragraph, last line: principle s/b principal :-)).

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

ybeauville — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:44:09 GMT

very interesting comment regarding near sighted. my daughter just found out her retina is detached and should be on kale diet, lutein. used to work night shift and goes to sleep around 2:00 am. NOt enough sunshine.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Islander — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:37:38 GMT

"Hunter-gatherer diets are typically characterized by high levels of protein, moderate levels of fat and low levels of carbohydrates..." Blanket statements like this are inaccurate. The Yanomamo exemplify one extreme, a high carbohydrate diet with the occasional treat of meat and fat. The Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest fall in the middle, with ample game and fish to supplement their fruits and vegetables. The Inuit are at the other end of the spectrum with their diet of marine mammals high in protein and fat with almost no carbohydrates. There is tremendous variation in the diets of pre-literate societies depending on the environment. That kind of evidence makes me skeptical that diet has much bearing on myopia.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Shanta — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 06:20:22 GMT

What is it with the sun in Australia and New Zealand. The media is strangely quiet, but there is such a big difference in the bitieness since when I was a child compared to now. I used to be able to stay in the sun all day and not get burnt and now I get red in five minutes.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Turmeric — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 21:21:15 GMT

I too, have had similar experiences to A.M.E. A holiday in bright sunlight can bring large improvements, yet the same holiday the next year can bring a worsening of the problems. In both cases more than just the eyes were involved. The evidence of a fungal infection is strong. In addition to an antifungal diet, certain foods can make dramatic improvements. My first sight recovery came from cod liver oil. Oranges, tomatoes cooked in olive oil, garlic, oily fish and turmeric have all been important. Though not cured, the latter has been dramatically effective.Red LED clusters @ 660 nm repair the damage. (Best at night) sight is now quite good.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Goji — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:13:46 GMT

The causes of myopia are vast and varied and each theory will fit some people. An adaption to near work is obvious, a diet high in sugar has been established, sunlight and fitness makes sense, preventive optical care through treating the cause (ie reading glasses for near work) rather than symptomatic care keeps the power down but an oversized eye ball is just crazy old thinking! Having worked with behavioral optometrists I am now convinced that emotional stress followed by environmental stress are the primary causes. After that is is just bad self and optical care....

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

A.M.E. — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:43:42 GMT

I grew up playing outside all the time. I was always out. My mother wouldn't let me stay inside the house longer than it took me to get dressed, use the bathroom or eat (at the time I hated the nutritious meals my mom made). I grew up on the east coast in Virginia and was on swim teams throughout high school and softball teams up until a few years ago. I guess this article means that my eyes would be worse if I hadn't been outside all the time? My eyesight is -20/600. I currently live in south Texas and can't keep the sun out of anything. My sight has continued to worsen even in the near desert that I'm in (I've been here almost 20 years now). If I had perfect sight or even better sight I might find what's written in this article to be possible. For me, personally, it doesn't show much promise.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

DizzyIzzy1 — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:29:05 GMT

The only problem with the sun in Australia - and far more so again in New Zealand - is the whopping great hole in the ozone layer overhead. It's very difficult to get optimal Vitamin D without simply burning, and eyes are no different, specially if you're fair-haired and fair-skinned and blue-eyed like myself!! It takes a lot of work to figure out exactly how long is too long, and most people can't be bothered so they either avoid it altogether, or cover up entirely, or use toxic sunblocks, or let themselves burn...

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

Russ Bianchi — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 22:24:48 GMT

Combine sun giving vitamin D (for free) and naturally occurring Vitamin A in bilberries and many other botanicals, and eye sight is vastly and permanently improved.

re: Sunlight May Save Kids' Sight

mmc88121 — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 04:13:44 GMT

Another use for vitamin D.

Mary