My youngest son (30) was told he has a cataract today. Anybody know if TBD can cause this. We do have cataracts in grandfather, grandmother, myself. This son did not do hyperbarics so not the source.
Posted by gmb (Member # 23562) on :
I had a cataract removed at age 36. It's not common but it happens. This was way before my tick bite and lyme treatment. I think lyme does other types of damage to the eyes.
gmb
Posted by poppy (Member # 5355) on :
Lyme is known to be in the eyes, a privileged site. So, I wonder what happens when a cataract is removed. Doesn't sound like it would be a good thing to have surgery there when it is infected with lyme.
Didn't know hyperbarics had anything to do with cataracts!
Posted by oxygenbabe (Member # 5831) on :
Informally, lymies have more floaters and cataracts. Lyme likes collagen and the vitreous membrane is made of collagen so maybe the spirochetes degrade it. The vitreous protects the lens from oxygen, and oxygen is what slowly leads to cataracts.
Posted by Ann in CA (Member # 97) on :
Many years ago, my tick bite was on my left arm, and within days severe pain developed in my left jaw and then behind my left eye. That eye pain remained for six years, until my doc (at the time) finally believed the positive test and let me have 30 days of doxy. Of course that did not get rid of the bacteria, and it took another six years to find more effective treatment from my current LLMD.
The cataract later developed only in that left eye, and the neuro-opthamologist my LLMD recommended felt that the cataract could have been a result of inadequate sun protection while on the high dose doxy, and other abx. However, the other eye was also exposed to those same abx, with no cataract surgery necessary. My LLMD seemed to feel lyme played the major role, and I feel it was the effect of lyme and the abx.
Posted by Phoiph (Member # 41238) on :
Many factors can contribute to cataract formation, but low glutathione is found in the majority of cataract cases studied.
Low glutathione is also very common in Lyme, and may be a contributing factor.
Early cataract formation can sometimes be helped with diet, etc. Here's some more info:
You can't get extra glutathione into the lens very easily, though, because it's by passive diffusion. And once a cataract is there, by the nature of the lens, it will be even tougher.
I do think the key is the vitreous (collagen) membrane and borrelia colonization, degrading the vitreous in some folks, and leading to floaters and possibly cataracts.
If you remove the vitreous surgically, a cataract always forms within 2 years. It is there to protect the lens.
Posted by poppy (Member # 5355) on :
And I had vitreous separations in both eyes.
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
I was told I have cataracts in both eyes and urged to set up surgery immediately. I questioned the dryness of my eyes and was dismissed. I am sure it is caused from the infections. Bartonella is the worst infection for the eyes.
Carnosine is supposed to help if he wants to try it. I only took it a short time and decided to concentrate of the infection instead.