Retinopathy May Be Combatible With Fish Oils

Experts are about to begin testing fish oils, or Omega-3 fatty acids, to see if it might be able to save the vision of babies who are born prematurely, and affected by a condition called retinopathy.

Retinopathy is a potentially blinding disease, and it affects the vision of approximately 80% of babies born prematurely (who weigh less than 2.2 lbs), simply because the blood vessels in the retina don't have enough time to develop properly.

Babies in utero normally absorb their omega-3s naturally during the 3rd trimester, coincidentally, this is also when their eyes do most of their developing. Omega-3 isn't currently being added to the intravenous feeding that many premature babies require after birth.

So, in an attempt to mimic the natural absorption that occurs in the womb, the ophthalmologists are using a method they call "replacement treatment" rather than giving them only drugs, or hormones.

This treatment could mean a lot to more than just babies, but also to the adults that retinopathy affects as a result of both diabetes, and age-related degeneration. Eat fish (good fat), not fries (bad fat), to keep yourself protected from vision loss, and to help you regain any you might have already said buh-buy to.

When this theory was tested on mice, who were fed an American diet (high in Omega-6s, low on 3s) versus a Japanese diet (2% higher in Omega-3s), half of the mice with damaged eyes showed signs of improvement. Normal, healthy blood vessels began to form, and bad ones stopped forming. The "American mice" on the other hand showed more inflammation, and none of the benefits of their counterparts.

Pretty impressive for such a simple treatment.