DNA BIOPHARM - Ocu-Fast - 60 Capsules

How the Eye Works

In a number of ways, the human eye works much like a digital camera:

• Light is focused primarily by the cornea — the clear front surface of the eye, which acts like a camera lens.

• The iris of the eye functions like the diaphragm of a camera, controlling the amount of light reaching the back of the eye by automatically adjusting the size of the pupil (aperture).

• The eye's crystalline lens is located directly behind the pupil and further focuses light. Through a process called accommodation, this lens helps the eye automatically focus on near and approaching objects, like an autofocus camera lens.

• Light focused by the cornea and crystalline lens (and limited by the iris and pupil) then reaches the retina — the light-sensitive inner lining of the back of the eye. The retina acts like an electronic image sensor of a digital camera, converting optical images into electronic signals. The optic nerve then transmits these signals to the visual cortex — the part of the brain that controls our sense of sight.

Ocu-Fast Capsules are formulated using the following herbal extracts:

Bilberry

Scientifically proven to be one of the most beneficial herbs for the eyes, bilberry is rich in anthocyanosides. Anthocyanosides are powerful compounds known for their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects and protect and strengthen the small blood vessels that feed the eye. Bilberry proves to be an effective treatment of many eye disorders which include retinopathy, macular degeneration as well as in reducing the inflammation of the retina.

Furthermore, bilberry is known to be effective in enhancing the visual acuity of many healthy individuals, as well as in improving the vision of patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration, cataracts and glaucoma. Bilberry is an excellent herb in preventing vision loss.

Research shows that anthocyanosides help in boosting the production of pigments that enable the eyes to adapt to lighting changes by enhancing the creation of the purple pigment (rhodopsin) that is used by the rods in the back of the eye to assist with night vision as well as aiding in the formation of new capillaries and generating rhodopsin, a pigment needed for night vision. Early research has shown that bilberry supplementation improves the speed of adapting to darkness for people who have poor night vision. Its bioflavonoid content is also beneficial in eliminating unwanted toxins from the eyes.

Bilberry also helps improve vision and is used popularly to treat myopia. It is useful in shrinking cataracts and reduces macular degeneration of your eyes. 

Amla

Indian gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica), or amla, is a deciduous tree and a very popular medicinal herb. The fruits of this tree possess antibacterial and antiviral properties. Research shows that Amla improves myopia, decreases intra-ocular pressure and prevents the formation of cataracts.

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Research suggests that alpha lipoic acid is one of the most effective remedies for cataracts. Alpha lipoic acid functions to eliminate free radicals in the body, which are a major contributor to cataracts and also helps to restore vitamin E and vitamin C levels in the body, which help to maintain eye health.

ALA has been shown to reduce both small and large blood vessel complications of diabetes and  ALA treatment reduced retinal capillary damage, and oxidative stress in diabetic retinopathy as well as preventing diabetc retinopathy. 

As adults grow older, they become more vulnerable to developing cataracts, opacities of the lens that cloud sight. A key problem involved in cataract formation is oxidative stress in the lens of the eye. ALA was found to offer notable protection against cataract formation. Scientists believe that lipoic acid may confer this benefit by increasing levels of essential endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase.

Another common cause of vision loss is glaucoma. A study in patients with open-angle glaucoma found that visual function and other measures of glaucoma were improved in a group that received 75mg of ALA daily for two months compared with a control group that received no ALA.

Curcumin

Curcumin is rich in antioxidants that can fight free radicals caused by oxidative stress. This is said to benefit those with eye disorders like glaucoma and macular degeneration. Oxidation of the lens is a major causes of many eye disorders. Curcumin also protects optic nerves from damage.

Additionally, curcumin was shown to improve retinal blood flow, retinal edema and visual acuity over four weeks of supplementation.

Grape Seed Extract

Grape seed extract is effective in preventing blood leakage from damaged vessels. Grape seed extract is another powerful antioxidant that protects blood vessels and capillaries from free radical damage. Research shows that grape seed extract can help prevent diabetic retinopathy.

Grape seed extract is definitely one of the best herbs that promote eye health. It is highly recommended in combating eye disorders like eye strain, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration.

Milk Thistle

They say the eyes are the “windows to your soul” but herbalists would also say, the eyes are the “windows to your liver health”. Weak eyes and blurred vision can be signs of liver malfunction which indicates that what is bad for the liver can also be bad for your eyes. Hence, although milk thistle and its primary component silymarin are known for liver support, they have also been shown to benefit the eyes. The liver is a key organ for your eyes since fat soluble vitamins and glutathione are stored here. Mechanisms necessary to repair vision are essentially found in the liver. Research shows that silymarin can also inhibit aldose reductase which has a significant role in sugar deposition on the eyes of diabetics to prevent eye damage. By effectively fighting free radicals and reducing sugar levels in the eyes, milk thistle is not just a liver protector but also promoter of proper eye care.

Lutein, zeaxanthn and meso-zeaxanthin 

Lutein and zeaxanthin, the key nutrients for eye health, are found naturally in Calendula. Ocu-Fast uses clinically-extracted amounts of lutein, zeaxanthn and meso-zeaxanthin which are carefully extracted from the brightly-coloured petals of the Calendula Flower. Lutein helps prevent macular degeneration by making the macula thicker which has the following benefits: details are sharper… glare and brightness are easier to bear… and colours are brighter. It also helps support normal vision function and lens density… prevent and even slow the progression of cataracts… strengthen the eye tissue… protect against free radical damage in the eyes… and inhibit the development atherosclerosis (the build-up of heart-harming, fatty deposits in the arteries). Zeaxanthin acts a lot like lutein in the body too. It accumulates in the macula to help protect the eyes from free radical damage and helps absorb harmful ultraviolet rays and blue light, which could otherwise damage the retina and cause vision loss. Like lutein, zeaxanthin is a multi-tasker. It helps shield your eyes from free radical and blue light damage. Meso-Zeaxanthin is responsible for protecting central vision from free radical and blue light damage.

Common Eye Problems

Some eye problems are minor and don't last long. But some can lead to a permanent loss of vision.

Common eye problems include

• Refractive errors - The eye normally creates a clear image because the cornea and lens bend (refract) incoming light rays to focus them on the retina. The shape of the cornea is fixed, but the lens changes shape to focus on objects at various distances from the eye. By becoming more rounded, the lens allows near objects to be focused. By becoming flatter, the lens allows objects farther away to be focused. When the cornea and lens cannot focus the image of an object sharply on the retina, it is called a refractive error.

• Cataracts - Cataracts typically form as the tissues within the lens in the eye break down and form clumps. These clumps cause “clouded” areas on the eye, which in turn impair eyesight.

• Glaucoma - Glaucoma is a serious disease affecting the optic nerve.  Over time, the fluid in the eye begins to flow too slowly or stops flowing completely, the pressure inside the eye grows and blood vessels that feed the retina and optic nerve are damaged, causing vision loss and blindness.

• Retinal disorders - problems with the nerve layer at the back of the eye.

• Macular degeneration -  Macular degeneration is the slow deterioration of the cells in the macula, (the macula, iabout the size of a pencil eraser, is a tiny, yellowish area near the centre of the retina that allows you to clearly distinguish fine detail.) which affects your central vision, the vision you use for reading, writing, driving, and identifying faces. In some people, macular degeneration  advances so slowly that it will have little effect on their vision as they age. But in others, the disease progresses faster and may lead to a loss of vision in one or both eyes.

• Diabetic eye problems - Diabetic Retinopathy is a disease of the retina. The retina is the layer of the eye that is directly in the back of the eye. The retina sends the images that are seen to the brain. Diabetic Retinopathy affects the blood vessels in the eye causing them to weaken, which can lead to blood and liquids leaking into the retina.

• Conjunctivitis - an infection also known as pinkeye.

How do computers and cell phones strain your eyes?

When we look at an image, the eyes focus on it and the light rays enter the eyes through the iris; this is then focused on the cornea or lens of the eye. The image formed is then transmitted to the brain, which tells us what we are seeing. All this activity needs the co-ordination of both the structures of the eyes and their muscles.
When we look at objects like a computer or phone screen, the eyes and the muscles around the eyes are worked excessively as they are trying to adjust to the light that is emitted from the screen. This constant adjustment to quickly changing images or text is what causes the structures within the eye to get strained.
The use of cell phones has been linked to cancer of the eye by a German study.  Another study has shown that these microwave exposures can cause cataracts. Besides the development of eye cancer, cell phone radiation can also be responsible for the formation of cataracts.  Burning of the eyes, pain behind the eyes, ‘floaters’ (actually little bits of gel that detach themselves from the inside of the eye and float around), and a general deterioration of the vision are all hallmarks of damage caused by cell phone radiation.