Myopia is the tip of the iceberg of a number of eye illnesses commonly viewed as “degenerative”.  I recently received a client question about lattice degeneration.  Lattice degeneration is a weakening of the peripheral retina that can result in retinal tears, holes, and detachment.

The causes are unknown.  What is known is that you find very few of these cases in individuals with no myopia.  Coincidence?

If you happen to find this article while searching about lattice degeneration:  No, in most cases the sales pitch for preventative treatment doesn’t make sense:

quotes-blueRetinal degenerations are common lesions involving the peripheral retina, and most of them are clinically insignificant. Lattice degeneration, degenerative retinoschisis, cystic retinal tufts, and, rarely, zonular traction tufts, can result in a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. Therefore, these lesions have been considered for prophylactic therapy; however, adequate studies have not been performed to date.

Conclusions

Well-designed, prospective, randomized clinical studies are necessary to determine the benefit-risk ratio of prophylactic treatment. In the meantime, the evidence available suggests that most of the peripheral retinal degenerations should not be treated except in rare, high-risk situations.”

Source:  American Journal of Ophthalmology 

Business as usual, your ophthalmologist may correctly diagnose lattice degeneration.  He may remember a visit or brochure from a treatment plan, and his training will kick in, and you’ll hear about there being some treatment to help prevent retinal detachment.  The same way you are immediately sold lenses when you have a bit of NITM, muscle spasm myopia, here too it’s gather symptoms, diagnose, sell treatment.

But as proper clinical evaluations like the one above correctly suggest, there is no meaningful base of studies to suggest that they are effective.

In fact, I can point you to several studies suggesting that preventative treatment isn’t considered a great idea:

quotes-blueAn initial series of patients with lattice degeneration was reported to the Academy in 1964 and a follow-up report given in 1973. A continuing prospective study of 276 consecutive untreated patients (423 eyes) is now reported with follow-up from 1 to 25 years (average, 10.8 years). Clinical retinal detachments (RDs) occurred in 3 (1.08%) of 276 patients and 0.7% of eyes. Tractional retinal tears were seen in eight (2.9%) patients and 1.9% of eyes; one of these led to a clinical RD. Clinical or progressive subclinical RD occurred in 3 (2%) of 150 eyes with atrophic holes. Subclinical RD was seen in 10 (6.7%) of 150 eyes with atrophic holes, involving 9 (7.5%) of 120 patients, and had a much less serious prognosis than clinical detachment. Prophylactic treatment of lattice with or without holes in phakic, nonfellow eyes should be discontinued. “

Source:  Ophthalmology Journal

The risk of retinal detachment is lower than the odds of complications or side effects from any preventative treatment.  End of the story.

We talk a lot here about vision health, about integrative and holistic approaches to dealing with myopia.  The integrative part is what is so often lost on the medical establishment, where any given acute symptom (like lattice degeneration), is treated as though it doesn’t relate to any bigger picture of eyesight health.

But you might just look at these things with some common sense.  Peripheral vision atrophy, after years of wearing this:

peripheral-vision-retina

Why wouldn’t your peripheral vision atrophy, when you wear
this type of object that entirely obscures peripheral vision?

In fact … :

horse-blinders-same-as-glasses

That about says it all.

Why do I bring this up, even though you are less than likely to ever experience something like peripheral vision degeneration?  

It’s because you can simply avoid a whole host of obscure and less obscure eye problems, by looking at your eyesight health from a holistic perspective.  “Use as intended”, a label should read.  We simply can’t just spend 10 hours a day in close-up, in artificial lighting, eat packaged food, increase lens prescriptions, and expect the system not to star failing somewhere.  It’s simply not a reasonable expectation.

If you apply the very simple suggestions that are summarized in the #endmyopia Method, and reduce your myopia to -2 diopters and less, you are highly unlikely to ever be faced with any of these problems.  That’s something I can tell you with high confidence.

Lower myopia means less axial elongation.  Less axial elongation means less distortion of the retinal surface.  Add peripheral vision awareness activity, low strain environment, and a lack of influence of high diopter lenses (which eliminate the use of peripheral vision, which easily can add to atrophy symptoms).  

axial-elongation-retinal-wall

Look at the altered shape of the retina in the elongated eye.

I wouldn’t claim that any of these things conclusively prevent lattice degeneration, but certainly I don’t see the problem ever surface among clients who follow above strategies.

Treat your eyes well, and they will give you a lifetime of beautiful eyesight!

Enjoy,

alex cures myopia