Nutrition

Optometrists need to take on a greater role in helping patients identify and control hypertension

In the city of Chicago, there’s a 95-year-old retired pathologist and professor with a wry smile on his face. More than 50 years ago, Joseph Kraft, MD, identified that many tinnitus patients were in fact pre-diabetic.1 Back then this was a leaner America, and far fewer citizens had diabetes. Of course, much has radically changed.

Diet and nutrition play significant roles in the maintenance of health and prevention of disease.1,2 Every five years, our government releases dietary guidelines based upon all the players in the “food fight.

Fifty years of dietary guidelines have emphasized “low fat” and “low cholesterol” eating, so manufacturers obliged by creating foods with increasing sugar and wheat/gluten content while promoting exercise and widespread use of statins to lower cholesterol. Yet Americans have become overweight, obese, and typically less healthy at an alarming rate. The newest 2015-2020 U.S. dietary guidelines, eighth edition, are attempting to address this issue by limiting “added sugar.”1

The Ocular Nutrition Society (ONS) has announced the schedule for its education symposium, to be held Sunday, March 30, 2014, at the Jacob Javits Conference Center in New York City, in conjunction with Vision Expo East.

What are some common questions our patients expect to hear from us? “How is your vision? Which is better, one or two? How many nights out of the average month do you sleep in your contact lenses?” Sure, these are the easy answers, but when is the last time you surprised your patient with a question about their diet?