Vitamin supplements for eye sight

[Shelydon]

My  eyesight has significantly worsened both near and far vision over the last few months.  Are there any supplements that would help this?  I feel like I am falling apart.

[Katy]

If the cause is a vitamin deficiency, maybe.  But that’s a pretty concerning neurological symptom so I’d start with an eye doctor. 

[Pawz4me]

Not a supplement, but my optometrist urges consumption of eggs and leafy greens for their lutein content. But like @Katysays, if your vision has worsened noticeably in a short time you should get checked out. Both your eyes and a general physical/lab work.

[Selkie]

Didn't you have a hysterectomy recently? (If not, sorry for confusing you with someone else.)

My eyesight hasn't changed since my hysterectomy, but several women in my surgery support group have complained about their vision getting much worse in the months after surgery. There has been speculation in the group that it is caused by hormonal changes, but I'm not sure if that is actually correct or not. Maybe something to discuss with your doctor and eye doctor, though.

[prairiewindmomma]

Ocuvite is a brand my opthamologist likes, but I also wonder if it would be helpful for your specific situation. The omega oils are supposed to help with eye lubrication. The lutein is supposed to help with the macula. The rest of that blend is mostly just antioxidants…. Those are all good things but it wouldn’t help with acuity.
 

Dittoing the others that if you have had significant change over the period of just a few months, that is worth a trip to the opthamologist. 

[Shelydon]

8 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Didn't you have a hysterectomy recently? (If not, sorry for confusing you with someone else.)

My eyesight hasn't changed since my hysterectomy, but several women in my surgery support group have complained about their vision getting much worse in the months after surgery. There has been speculation in the group that it is caused by hormonal changes, but I'm not sure if that is actually correct or not. Maybe something to discuss with your doctor and eye doctor, though.

Yes!  I do wonder if it is correlated.

[gardenmom5]

34 minutes ago, Katy said:

If the cause is a vitamin deficiency, maybe.  But that’s a pretty concerning neurological symptom so I’d start with an eye doctor. 

An ophthalmologist - not an optometrist. 

[Shelydon]

I have an eye appointment next week.  I have always had *really* bad distance vision.  20/800 bad.  My near and mid vision is what is now the issue.  I wear contacts.  Glasses are really a good option because I lose my peripheral vision completely when I wear them because my eye sight is so bad.  

[Pawz4me]

16 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

An ophthalmologist - not an optometrist. 

Just as a general FYI, so the board realizes things are done differently in different areas—Around here there is no chance an ophthalmologist would see a patient like the OP. The only way anyone here sees an ophthalmologist is with a referral from an optometrist or a PCP. 

[Spryte]

My mother’s specialists (she has MD) require her to take AREDS by preservision. They highly recommend I do, as well.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

21 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

Just as a general FYI, so the board realizes things are done differently in different areas—Around here there is no chance an ophthalmologist would see a patient like the OP. The only way anyone here sees an ophthalmologist is with a referral from an optometrist or a PCP. 

The same here as well.  It’s very hard to get an appointment with an opthalmogolist.  But an optometrist will often do a referral and push it to happen quickly.

[Selkie]

1 hour ago, Shelydon said:

I have an eye appointment next week.  I have always had *really* bad distance vision.  20/800 bad.  My near and mid vision is what is now the issue.  I wear contacts.  Glasses are really a good option because I lose my peripheral vision completely when I wear them because my eye sight is so bad.  

Have you noticed your eyes getting drier? Dry eyes can make vision seem blurry, especially with contacts.

[Shelydon]

17 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Have you noticed your eyes getting drier? Dry eyes can make vision seem blurry, especially with contacts.

No.  Fortunately that has never been as issue for  me.

[Shelydon]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

Just as a general FYI, so the board realizes things are done differently in different areas—Around here there is no chance an ophthalmologist would see a patient like the OP. The only way anyone here sees an ophthalmologist is with a referral from an optometrist or a PCP. 

Here I can see either.  I typically see an optometrist, but I can get into to see an ophthalmologist easily if I wanted too. 

[Shelydon]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

My mother’s specialists (she has MD) require her to take AREDS by preservision. They highly recommend I do, as well.

I read about this supplement.  I will ask when I go into my appointment

[Bambam]

Due to a family history of macular degeneration, I was advised to take vitamins with the AREDS 2 formulation.  I take Preservision. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Bambam

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, Shelydon said:

I have an eye appointment next week.  I have always had *really* bad distance vision.  20/800 bad.  My near and mid vision is what is now the issue.  I wear contacts.  Glasses are really a good option because I lose my peripheral vision completely when I wear them because my eye sight is so bad.  

If you aren't in bifocals/progressives, your eyes could've simply stopped accommodating for near/far changes. It's something that happens with age.

I didn't know until relatively recently that sleep apnea can cause eye problems. Blood sugar issues can too. Blood pressure can. Lots of things--if there are changes to blood vessels, macula, retina, etc., I would ask the optometrist what all can cause your particular issue and then also ask your doctor. Between the two, hopefully they'd look at all causes.

I find that eye folks tend to vary a LOT in what they call things, what they attribute them to, etc. even if they do the same exams, and that goes for both optometrists and ophthalmologists. It's maddening. It's like when academic papers call aortic aneurysms twelve different things (or describe it twelve different ways with no noun) instead of just saying aneurysm. 

[mathnerd]

4 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

leafy greens for their lutein content.

this is very important (especially in people middle aged and above as well as toddlers and young kids). I add leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, romaine lettuce and parsley every single day to my diet to get my lutein from natural sources because it is known to prevent/reverse macular degeneration as we age. If you cannot stand to eat so much of these greens, add kale or spinach to a smoothie with fruit/carrots etc to hide the taste and you will get your daily dose of lutein without tiring of eating the greens.

[Shelydon]

My eye doctor gave me multifocal contact lenses. They work really well!  I don't need reading glasses at all.

[Selkie]

3 minutes ago, Shelydon said:

My eye doctor gave me multifocal contact lenses. They work really well!  I don't need reading glasses at all.

Yay, I'm glad it was an easy fix!