Improvement in Vision Parameters for Participants Treated With Alternative Therapies in a 3-day Program.

CONTEXT: Eye conditions that are considered progressive and degenerative and for which the causation is generally poorly understood or not understood within conventional medicine can respond to natural therapeutic interventions that result in arrest and/or improvement of morbidity, with enhanced functional results. Because many of the treated conditions are age related, a delay of disease progression for 5 or even 10 y can mean an additional decade of independence for seniors. The 11 included ocular conditions are ordinarily considered incurable by any method except surgery and, even with surgery, the outcomes can be variable and/or transient.

OBJECTIVE: The research intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of alternative modalities-intravenous (IV) nutrition, oxidative therapy, microcurrent stimulation, and syntonic light therapy-in improving vision in chronic eye conditions, even when administered for a short period.

DESIGN: The study was a retrospective, open-label, single-group design. All participants in the 3-d conference during the period covered were selected.

SETTING: The setting was ophthalmologist Edward Kondrot's Healing the Eye and Wellness Center near Tampa, FL, USA.

PARTICIPANTS: The participants in this study were all patients attending 1 of 11 CAM treatment events at the author's center within 2 y. Each session lasted 3 d and the number of participants in each session ranged from 5-15 (mean = 13). The cohort numbered 152 patients who were diagnosed with ≥1 of 11 types of eye disease. Seventy-eight percent of the patients had either age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) or glaucoma, which, taken together, are the leading cause of blindness in persons >65 y.

INTERVENTION: Each of 4 alternative modalities was provided at least once to each participant: (1) IV nutrition, (2) oxidative therapy, (3) microcurrent stimulation, and (4) syntonic light therapy. On the first day, a detailed treatment plan for each participant was developed. Each day consisted of 2 therapeutic eye programs, a stress reduction program, and a detoxification program. Also included were daily lectures and instructions on the methods and use of the equipment.

OUTCOME MEASURES: To measure outcomes, changes from baseline were documented through comparison with postprogram results. Pre- and postprogram testing included the following measures: (1) Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) eye chart; (2) Lighthouse Letter Contrast Sensitivity test; (3) campimetry; (4) pursuits, saccade, and fixation tests; (5) pupillary examination; (6) external examination; (7) examination of the anterior segment; (8) intraocular-pressure test; and (9) dilated examination. Additional tests, if necessary, included (1) ocular coherence tomography, (2) infrared thermography, (3) 6-hour urine collection for heavy-metal toxicity, and (4) nocturnal oximetry.

RESULTS: All participants remained in the study for the duration of the program. Following the administration of the protocol, significant improvement in acuity, contrast, and visual field resulted in the majority of participants. None of the interventions was toxic or painful, and all likely contributed to an improved, overall health status for participants.

CONCLUSIONS: These treatment protocols should be considered part of a treatment program for all ocular disease processes. Eye health needs to be repositioned within an assessment of general health with the understanding that, with the exception of congenital disorders or accidents, vision decline represents a general diminishment in overall health and results directly from toxicity from both external sources such as air and water, and the internal accumulation of toxic metals; poor nutrition; and other life exposures and habits. Long-term follow-up studies are now in process.