Chronic eye disease is a serious condition you would rather not experience. Whether it’s because of age-related macular degeneration, cataract, or glaucoma, you’d probably want to get immediate treatment to preserve your quality of life. There’s no country who has heavily invested and led in treating this disease other than Cuba. In 2012, Dr. Silvia Menendez from Cuba presented a 20-year-old study about the use of ozone in treating chronic eye disease.
Ozone Treatment For Chronic Eye Disease
What Is Ozone?
By definition, ozone is a gas often found in the Earth’s atmosphere. If you happen to experience a clean smell in the air just after a lightning storm, then that is ozone for you. Ozone is formed once oxygen is charged and acquires more energy that it attracts another oxygen atom. Ozone is also structurally called a supercharged oxygen as it now possesses a three-molecule structure.
Why Is Ozone Used In Therapy?
According to researchers, ozone has many therapeutic effects despite its dangerous effects. While using ozone as a gaseous form of medical treatment is viewed as unusual, it has been found effective from infected wounds to chronic diseases. AM Elvis and JS Ekta said this is because of ozone’s ability to render bacteria, viruses, fungi, yeast, and protozoa in an inactive state, stimulate oxygen metabolism, to activating the immune system. Ozone was also found as an effective solution in eliminating hepatitis, HIV, and syphilis transmission as well.
Why Is Cuba Interested In Ozone Therapy?
Cuba’s interest in biotechnology was in part fault of the US’ embargo to the country. In the last 50 years, the country has faced sanctions that it made the late leader Fidel Castro to step up and initiate programs to compensate for the embargo’s effects on the country. One of these effects was the country’s lack of access to medicine it does not have access to or have the money to buy or make it affordable to people.
Cuba’s efforts were much lauded not just in the field of medicine, but also in the global community. A 2012 American Journal of Public Health study noted how the country was able to create a health system that’s the envy of even developed countries despite its limited resources. In the case of chronic eye disease, Castro naturally became interested in the latest medical breakthrough that would help treat it. In fact, he has donated millions of dollars to the Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital, a leader in medical ozone treatments.
How Effective Is Ozone Therapy?
Dr. Silvia Mendenez from Cuba made perhaps the most extensive evaluation of ozone therapy in the treatment of eye disorders. Mendenez has treated thousands of patients with eye conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, and retinitis pigmentosa. At the International Ozone Therapy for the Medical & Dental World held in California, she showed the study wherein 69 to 72 percent of the 200 patients saw visual acuity improvement due to ozone therapy. Her study also revealed that the same patients had their visual field expanded between 59 to 76 percent.
The effectiveness of the ozone therapy treatment was also indicated in the successful patients’ functional recovery of nerve fibers. The study showed that there was a trend to lower intraocular pressure and also decreased the latency of P100 (visual evoked potentials). Before the treatment, the optic nerve fibers of the successful patients were partially inactive.
What Diseases Can Be Treated With Ozone Therapy?
Ozone therapy is seen as a promising treatment to two of the most serious eye diseases, where blurred eyesight is one of the symptoms. Macular degeneration was considered an incurable disease, affecting over 10 million Americans. A patient who has been diagnosed with macular degeneration will have atrophy or aging changes in the macula, the central part of the retina. Changes in the macula will cause your vision to lose its sharpness and clarity.
Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition which will cause retina cell loss. People who are diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa tend to complain about not being able to see at night or no longer have side or peripheral vision. Sometimes, the loss of central vision and acuity follows. In worse cases, it can cause blindness.
Check out Dr. Menendez’s presentation about the latest advances in ozone therapy for chronic eye disease below:
There is no denying the ability of ozone as a medical therapy. However, there is still more research needed to be done. For patients with chronic eye disease, an ozone therapy is essential in achieving optimal eye health. Medical developments like these should be supported.
Curious about how ozone therapy is good for eye health? Ask us in the comments section below!
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