Yahoo! News Story - Some Supplements Can Damage Eyes

October 21, 2004

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Some Supplements Can Damage Eyes

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Health - Reuters

Some Supplements Can Damage Eyes

Thu Oct 21,12:18 PM ET

Health - Reuters

By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) -

Many herbal remedies and

nutritional supplements can damage the eyes, including some

alternative therapies that are used by people trying to correct

eye problems, new research reports.

Yahoo! Health Have questions about your health? Find answers here.

According to a review of reported cases and medical

literature, commonly used supplements including chamomile,

ginkgo biloba, licorice, vitamin A and echinacea can cause a

myriad of eye problems.

Study author Dr. Frederick Fraunfelder explained that

supplements become dangerous to the eyes when people take them

in large doses. They can cause problems including severe

conjunctivitis, eye irritation, retinal bleeding and temporary

loss of vision, the study found.

"Tell your physician what you take, as these products

interact with other drugs," Fraunfelder advises. "Recognize

even herbal products and nutritional supplements have adverse

reactions."

People who choose to take supplements that can damage eyes

should schedule an eye exam before beginning the treatment,

then visit an eye doctor every year to monitor their eyes, he

told Reuters Health.

Fraunfelder, who is based at the Casey Eye Institute in

Portland, Oregon, explained that most people are unaware of how

damaging supplements can be to the eyes. "Most consumers assume

because a product is naturally occurring it is safe," he said.

As a result, about forty percent of people who use

alternative therapies do not discuss them with their doctors.

To investigate which supplements can cause the most eye

damage, Fraunfelder reviewed all eye-related case reports

submitted to the World Health Organization (news - web sites), the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration (news - web sites) and the National Registry of Drug-Induced

Ocular Side Effects, which contains data from as far back as

1976. He also combed the medical literature for additional

reports of eye problems caused by supplements.

Fraunfelder, who presented his findings in the American

Journal of Ophthalmology, found 30 instances in which

canthaxanthine, a carotenoid that produces an artificial suntan

when taken orally, caused changes to users' retinas, including

crystal deposits.

The researcher uncovered seven cases in which people rinsed

their eyes with chamomile tea to treat styes and irritation,

and instead developed severe conjunctivitis.

Echinacea is widely touted as useful for treating the

common cold and flu, but Fraunfelder found seven cases in which

users developed irritation and conjunctivitis after using it

topically.

The researcher also discovered five cases of temporary

vision loss apparently caused by licorice consumption, and 71

cases of niacin causing eye problems.

Fraunfelder noted that vitamin A is a particularly big

threat to the eyes at high doses, and ginkgo biloba, a blood

thinner, can cause retinal bleeding when combined with other

blood thinners.

Most people were using the supplements for reasons

unrelated to their eyes, including arthritis, inflammation and

digestive problems.

SOURCE: American Journal of Ophthalmology, October 2004.

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