The older people get, the harder it is to maintain sharp vision. Millions of Americans already suffer from symptoms of Macular Degeneration, a disease that results in total blindness for many people.
However, a neutraceutical product made by a Las Vegas is hoping to help, and now the company is getting international attention.
A paper published in the British Medical Journal details clinical test results obtained over a 12-year period. The local company makes a supplement called Longevinex which includes the nutrient Resveratrol.
The study was conducted by Dr. Stuart Richer, who’s worked for Veteran Affairs for 35 years.
The 8 News NOW I-Team first reported Dr. Richer’s work a few years ago. His patients are mostly aging military veterans whose vision has deteriorated.
The doctor says he documented improvements in two-thirds of his patients who took the drug as a last resort. For millions of Americans, Macular Degeneration means a lower quality of life.
“Twenty to 30 million people have Macular Degeneration,” said Dr. Richer. “Much of it is undiagnosed because it’s in stage one or stage two, so we focus on stages three and four. That is in lock step with the aging of the population. As the population of the U.S. rises in age, we will see more of this pop-up. It takes out your ability to drive a car safely at night. It takes out your ability to read the newspaper in dim light, to see small print in a display. It is important for a technological society to take the time to look at vision seriously.”
Dr. Richer who doesn’t have a financial stake in the neutraceutical product says publication of his study in British and other foreign medical journals is important because American journals have declined to publicize his findings.
Why?
One factor, the doctor thinks, is that Americans most often use a very expensive, and very lucrative drug that must be injected into the eyes of patients instead of Resveratrol.
Read Dr. Richer’s article in the British Medical Journal.
