Saturday, September 25, 2010

Strange Side Effect

Busy with company and the local apple festival this weekend so not too  much time this weekend to write. I did have one interesting occurrence this week I wanted to mention.

I haven't updated my glasses in a little over two years - so before the beginning of my change to paleo/primal/lowcarb. I was eligible for new glasses and felt like a change so I went this week to get an updated eye exam and a new set of glasses. I have worn glasses since the second grade and as far back as I can remember my eyes have been weaker each time and my prescription stronger.



I was surprised (as was the the ophthalmologist) to find out that my eyes had actually improved over the last two years! My new prescription is not as strong as my old for the first time - pretty interesting.

Is it because of low carb/primal living? As a scientific minded engineer I can't say yes or no - I can only hypothesis (I am only a sample of one). It could be that all of the wonderful whole foods (including all of the good saturated fat) have helped my eyes heal slightly. It could be the result of eliminating constant blood sugar spikes from my old pre-diabetic state to current. It could also be my new lower blood pressure. I believe it is a probably a little of each.

Do I expect them to continue to get better? No - most likely, I believe, it is a one time improvement in response to less inflammation as a result of the changes listed. However I am hoping that it may stabilize and I will stop seeing continued deterioration in the future.

Either way I am taking it as a slight refutation of the conventional wisdom's view of my diet and eating patterns which are completely counter to the USDA and most mainstream dietitians/physicians recommendations. I have managed not to destroy my health by avoiding loads of carbs, avoiding food in boxes, and eating less than six small meals a day...... 

Any unexpected benefits you have seen in your weight loss? Drop me a comment to share!

-LL

5 comments:

  1. interesting! it could also be your age! assuming you are short-sighted, your eyes start to become increasingly long-sighted as you get older. If, like me, you are a short-sighted prescription then you can find that you gradually improve back to 20:20 and then move into long-sightedness - peering over spectacle and holding things at arm's length!

    i have only switched to primal a month ago but when i had my eyes tested 6 months ago (also age 32) there was no change in prescription where before it had always worsened slightly.

    something to look into perhaps! if it is the primal diet then i am going to celebrate because that would be awesome!!!

    congratulations on the amazing changes you've made to your life. you are looking great and your writing makes it sound like you feel great too!

    bea

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  2. Yes glasses are for short sightedness . I hadn't thought of the natural changes to the eye - not sure which I prefer glasses for reading or glasses for distance - definitely not bifocals. Maybe that will be time for laser correction!

    Thanks for the congratulations - I am feeling much better. Hopefully just a short bit to go before I start the work of adjusting from losing to maintaining.

    -LL

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  3. I was not under the impression that near-sighted people return to 20-20 as they age, before going far-sighted! That sounds like something out of a bad adaptation of an F. Scott Fitzgerald story ;) This sounds diet-related to me, and I've read similar anecdotes. -P

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  4. p.s. check out this thread on the topic:
    http://paleohacks.com/questions/11935/the-sad-and-myopia#axzz124ixBlMe

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  5. Another paleohacks thread which is relevant is here: http://paleohacks.com/questions/6984/experience-in-healing-eyesight-on-the-paleo-diet#axzz13Bso8IOV

    You'll find my own experience with improved myopia noted there as well - and I'm too young to bring a short-to-long-sighted transition into the question. I started struggling to see distance when I was 18, and have been through three eye exams which reported gradually worsening, until the most recent one, also post-paleo, and they're improving! Huzzah! There's a justified association between insulin and eye health, so I'm not sure if I can expect more improvement or just maintenance of my current level of health - I'll have to wait a couple of years and find out!

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