Supplement question

My mother has macular degeneration and has been on I-CAPS. They really do seem to help. I got this from their website:

What vitamins/minerals does ICaps® contain?
ICaps® contains the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin which help protect the macula against the effects of years of exposure to damaging light.

It is also a source of Vitamin A, which helps vision in dim light, and the antioxidant Vitamin E which helps protect cell membranes.

ICaps® contains Vitamin C which protects cells and keeps them healthy. The Vitamin B2 in ICaps® is proven to help maintain good eyesight, and a key sign of deficiency in this vitamin is itchy, irritated eyes. ICaps® also contains the trace elements zinc, selenium, copper and manganese.

Best wishes!

Hi Everyone, I put this info in another post, but incase you missed it. A juicer and get "Juicing For Life" great book with all kinds of raw vegie / fruit juice recipies.

In the news out today which I'll go look for again, is to eat those green leafy veggies, spinach, kale, etc. for macular degeneration.  It also said vitamins E and such didn't work as well.

 People who consume high levels of the yellow plant pigments lutein and zeaxanthin may have a reduced risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of irreversible blindness among the elderly.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study Research Group study, supported by the U.S. government, looked at more than 4,500 people who were between the ages of 60 and 80 when they were enrolled between 1992 and 1998.

Those who consumed the highest levels of lutein and zeaxanthin -- found in yellow and dark leafy vegetables -- were significantly less likely than those who ate the lowest levels of these nutrients to have advanced AMD, the research team found.

People with the highest intake of lutein and zeaxanthin were also less likely to have large or numerous intermediate drusen, which are yellow or white deposits on the retina or optic nerve that are a sign of AMD.

The study is published in the September issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.

The researchers said lutein and zeaxanthin may affect processes through which light and oxygen damage the eyes.

If further research confirms the findings of this study, "lutein and zeaxanthin may be considered as useful agents in food or supplement-based interventions designed to reduce the risk of AMD," the authors concluded.

More information

The U.S. National Eye Institute has more about AMD.

This is crazy.  Hard to know what to believe. 

Tell your onc and your eye dr that they need to talk to each other since you are getting conflicting information.  Make one of your drs call the other while you are in the office during an appointment.  Chances are the one dr won't be able to talk directly with the other at that moment, but at least you will have started the process of getting them on the phone with each other.  Then call both offices daily until the 2 drs actually talk and make a decision about the I-caps.  Dont' try to play go-between yourself, you're not getting paid enought for all that bother!  There's no reason we have to try to reconcile the instructions of 2 professionals. 

I was listening to Andrew Lessman on HSN last weekend.  He 's very informative.  However, I don't buy his vitamins because they are much to costly and many times he adds Bs and other things we are already getting.  Too much, IMO, isn't good.  But, he talked about lutein and zeaxanthin for the eyes.  Both are important, but he said if he had only one to take it would be zeaxanthin.

Shirley