Readers describe cataract treatments

DEAR DR. GOTT: This is a follow-up to your Q&A on cataracts that I read with interest. During the past two weeks, I had cataracts removed from both eyes and intraocular lenses implanted at the same time – with no waiting. I had two other lens choices, neither covered by Medicare. Those were lenses enabling me to see without glasses at all, at several thousand dollars. For about $600, I could have chosen lenses that would require glasses for reading only; however, the main issue was the fact that there is no waiting for lens implant after removal of cataracts.

DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your column advising surgery for cataracts. I was told several years ago that I would soon need cataract surgery. I’m a wimp and don’t want to even think about surgery! I Googled cataract eyedrops and found a supplier. I’ve been using the drops for several years, and my doctor no longer even mentions surgery to me. He just says “keep on eating those carrots.” Used in Russia and China, eyedrops are effective 80 percent of the time.

The name of the product is Longevity Science’s Visual Ocuity. My husband had also been told that he needed the surgery, and he has also had great success with these drops. They dissolve the fatty deposits on the lens, and these become “floaters,” which come out in the corner of the eye.

I hope this can help people avoid surgery. It sure has helped us.

DEAR READERS: In response to the first reader, it’s extremely rewarding for me to put matters of eye health in the hands of a reputable, trusted ophthalmologist. After all, eyes are precious. We get only one pair. They’re not like bones that can break and heal following a slip-and-fall accident. The cataract-removal procedure takes less than a half-hour and after a brief recuperation period while the local anesthetic wears off. It’s as if a magic button were pushed and a person is able to see again.

In response to the second reader, I must admit I was not familiar with Visual Ocuity lubricant eyedrops. From what I’ve since read, they contain 1 percent N-Acetylcarnosine, a time-released form of naturally occurring dipeptide L-carnosine. The product is reported to be an antioxidant and antiglycating nutrient that helps improve or dissolve cataracts, as well as assisting with dry eyes and other conditions. A 2008 study that appeared in the Royal Journal of Opthalmology could not find safety or efficacy in the product, however. Visual Ocuity is available in eyedrop or capsule form.

Another information site indicated the product contains 1 percent glycerin and hydroxypropyl methylcellusose, sterile water, the NAC listed above, boric acid, citric acid, potassium bicarbonate and purified benzyl alcohol as a preservative. And there you have it.

I urge readers to speak with their eye specialists to be assured that any decision they make – whether it is surgical, the use of herbs, prescription or over-the-counter drugs or anything in between – be discussed before it is implemented. Therefore, I am passing the information on from both readers as we all want to be able to make the right choice. What may be correct for one person may not be correct for another. Pardon the pun, but we all see things differently. Thank you both for writing.

DEAR DR. GOTT: In my mid-40s, I started getting little red dots on my arms, legs and trunk. My doctor called them cherry angiomas. They are becoming quite numerous and are growing larger. Is this simply a cosmetic inconvenience or something significant?

DEAR READER: A cherry angioma is a benign growth composed of small dilated blood vessels that appears as a smooth red skin lesion – thus the name. On rare occasions, a dark brown/black color may be present, giving the potential appearance of a malignant melanoma. While there doesn’t appear to be any connection to race or the sex of an individual, light-skinned older people are more inclined to have them. Lesions can appear anywhere on the body but are commonly found on the trunk.

Treatment is recommended only when the lesions are undesirable from a cosmetic point of view. Options can include cryotherapy, curettage and electrodesiccation or shave excision.

If you haven’t already, see a dermatologist for a complete examination of the lesions to be certain there are no malignancies and to discuss if the possibility of removal is best for you. Most cherry angiomas do not require treatment.

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