Colloidal Minerals For Amblyopia?

**Bjort&Company** · 05-14-2009, 01:03 PM

Has anyone ever heard of giving Colloidal Minerals to help improve kids with Amblyopia? I have a customer that said her PO is insisting on giving these mineral instead of patching, VT, surgery, etc. I told her to get a second opinion. Any advice? Sounds crazy to me and I would hate to see her son loose his vision because of it. Thanks.

**nickrock** · 05-14-2009, 04:53 PM

I have never heard of this, but after a little research it sounds a little suspicious. (BTW, what's a PO?)
I would suggest your friend do a LOT of research prior to commiting to anything. What are risks, benefits, side affects, outcomes?
Are there clinic trials and evidence based outcomes published?
What is the benefit over more widely used treatments like VT, penalization therapy, surgery?
Keep me updated, sounds interesting.

**chip anderson** · 05-14-2009, 05:35 PM

This is Optiboards, not the New England Journal of Ophthalmology.

**Bjort&Company** · 05-14-2009, 07:17 PM

I'm not sure what you mean. I'm just trying to help a child out whose mom is being mislead by a quack dr. in my opinion. What does that have to do with NEJOP? I wanted to know if anyone else has ever heard of this crazy stuff before.

**Bjort&Company** · 05-14-2009, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by nickrock

I have never heard of this, but after a little research it sounds a little suspicious. (BTW, what's a PO?)
I would suggest your friend do a LOT of research prior to commiting to anything. What are risks, benefits, side affects, outcomes?
Are there clinic trials and evidence based outcomes published?
What is the benefit over more widely used treatments like VT, penalization therapy, surgery?
Keep me updated, sounds interesting.

Thanks for your concern/interest. I did find something on the Quackery.com.

http://www.quackwatch.com/01Quackery...lminerals.html

**nickrock** · 05-14-2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by chip anderson

This is Optiboards, not the New England Journal of Ophthalmology.

Hey, Chip, thanks for pulling your head out for a minute to let us know where we are. As always you are an utter fountain of knowledge, expertise, and a pillar of compassion to your fellow peers.

**LENNY** · 05-14-2009, 07:40 PM

Originally Posted by Bjort&Company

Has anyone ever heard of giving Colloidal Minerals to help improve kids with Amblyopia? I have a customer that said her PO is insisting on giving these mineral instead of patching, VT, surgery, etc. I told her to get a second opinion. Any advice? Sounds crazy to me and I would hate to see her son loose his vision because of it. Thanks.

PO=Parole Officer:D

**chip anderson** · 05-14-2009, 10:21 PM

Translation: Shouldn't this sort of question be asked of one or more ophthalmologists? Surely you know a few if you are in this business.

If you don't know any I know three very excellent pediatric ophthalmologist and will ask them for you. But if you know some on your own, it would be best to ask them.

Opticians are mechanics (an honorable profession requireing a certian expertise) not physicians.

Chip

**Jubilee** · 05-15-2009, 11:09 AM

However there are ophthamologists and techs who work for them that participate on this board.

While, indeed it would be best to ask another pediatric ophthamologist (PO) sometimes you have to ask questions in multiple places to get a handful of answers/assesments.

I am familiar with the original poster from another forum. She is quite active in advocating for children's eye health. She is trying to look out for the people who look up to her.

Its possible to advise them to look in a more appropriate place w/o being a jerk.

Cassandra

**Chris Ryser** · 05-15-2009, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by Bjort&Company

Has anyone ever heard of giving Colloidal Minerals to help improve kids with Amblyopia?

Kelly...................You are in that business, eyepatches,....................... unsually precribed by orthoptist's that work for ophthalmologist's

Ambliopia as far as I know has nothing to do with any type of minerals that could help. Amblyopia usually is induced by a strabismus, which is an eye muscle problem in young kids that should be corrected by surgery, and then the amblyoptic eye should be trained by orthoptic treatment.

Amblyopia, otherwise known as lazy eye,[1] is a disorder of the visual system that is characterized by poor or indistinct vision in an eye that is otherwise physically normal, or out of proportion to associated structural abnormalities. It has been estimated to affect 1–5% of the population.[2]
The problem is caused by either no transmission or poor transmission of the visual image to the brain for a sustained period of dysfunction or during early childhood. Amblyopia normally only affects one eye, but it is possible to be amblyopic in both eyes if both are similarly deprived of a good, clear visual image. Detecting the condition in early childhood increases the chance of successful treatment.
While the colloquialism "lazy eye" is frequently used to refer to amblyopia, the term is inaccurate because there is no "laziness" of either the eye or the amblyope involved in the condition. This term is imprecise because "lazy eye" is also a layman's term for strabismus, particularly exotropia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amblyopia

Colloidal Minerals

Joel D. Wallach (born in St. Louis County, Missouri on June 4, 1940) is an American veterinarian and naturopath. He markets colloidal minerals as a treatment for many conditions and makes many controversial claims. He is openly critical of many mainstream medical treatments. His marketing, treatments and claims are the subject of criticism

**Bjort&Company** · 05-16-2009, 08:42 AM

I know that an Ophthalmologist would probably be the best one to ask, but I just wanted to know if any of you have hear of this either. Personally I think it's a hoax and just don't want to see a mother go through the rest of her life knowing that because she made the wrong decision for her child that her vision was lost in that eye. I still think that patching would be the best route. She said that this dr. told her that patching/surgery wouldn't help and only collidal minerals would. Crazy stuff. I still think she's going to do what she wants. I told her to get another opinion, but I don't know if she is going to.

Thanks again everyone. Thanks Cassandra :)

**chip anderson** · 05-16-2009, 08:54 AM

Have you asked Florida to check the credentials of this "Doctor." You might be able to solve the problem real quick and stay out of the fight personally.

Chip

**Jacqui** · 05-16-2009, 09:02 AM

I heard about this in Nurseing school. I told the instructor that she was crazy and later had several ODs and MDs agree with me.

**Chris Ryser** · 05-16-2009, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by Bjort&Company

I know that an Ophthalmologist would probably be the best one to ask, ..................

................yes but it should be one secialized in Orthoptic and Pleoptics

**fjpod** · 05-17-2009, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by Chris Ryser

................yes but it should be one secialized in Orthoptic and Pleoptics

I doubt if you can find an OMD that specializes in this.

Have you heard of another MD inspired cure for what ails you? Hypberbaric oxygen chambers. Had an MD call me the other day trying to convince me to counsel my Leber's Optic Neuropathy patient to have it done for $8k. Not covered by insurance of course.

**Chris Ryser** · 05-17-2009, 04:10 AM

Originally Posted by fjpod

I doubt if you can find an OMD that specializes in this.

Have you heard of another MD inspired cure for what ails you? Hypberbaric oxygen chambers. Had an MD call me the other day trying to convince me to counsel my Leber's Optic Neuropathy patient to have it done for $8k. Not covered by insurance of course.

1)
Vision therapy encompasses a wide variety of non-surgical methods to correct or improve specific visual dysfunctions. It may include the use of eye patches, penlights, mirrors, lenses, prisms, and patches, as well as eye exercises. Other modalities in use by vision therapy proponents that are considered unproven include sensory, motor, and perceptual activities. Orthoptics and pleoptics are common forms of vision therapy. Orthoptics are exercises designed to improve the function of the eye muscles. These exercises are considered particularly useful in the treatment of strabismus (cross-eyes). Pleoptics are exercises designed to improve impaired vision when there is no evidence of organic eye diseases.
There is a broad range of vision therapy techniques and methods among practitioners who perform vision therapy making the practice of vision therapy difficult to standardize and evaluate.

The National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) acknowledges the need for clinical trials of noninvasive treatments (such as orthoptics and vision training) to determine the presence of improvement in eye alignment and visual function in patients with early vision abnormalities such as amblyopia and impaired stereoscopic vision.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) accepts eye exercises and other non-surgical treatments, usually provided by an orthoptist (a professional eye specialist who works under the supervision of an ophthalmologist), as beneficial for individuals who have eye muscle problems. However, the AAO believes that these treatments should not be confused with vision therapy. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology (AAPOS), and the AAO issued a joint statement in July 1992 stating that there is no scientific evidence to support the claim “that the academic abilities of dyslexic or learning-disabled children can be improved with treatment based on (a) visual training, including muscle exercises, ocular pursuit, tracking exercises, or ‘training’ glasses (with or without bifocals or prisms); (b) neurological organizational training (laterality training, crawling, balance board, perceptual training): or (c) tinted or colored lenses. It is the opinion of these organizations that any claims of improved reading and learning with the use of these methods usually are based on poorly controlled studies. Thus, there are no eye or visual causes for dyslexia and learning disabilities, and there is no effective treatment.

The American Academy of Optometry and American Optometric Association issued a joint policy statement in 1997 on vision, learning, and dyslexia, maintaining that vision therapy does not treat learning disabilities or dyslexia directly, but is a treatment to improve visual efficiency and visual processing to allow an individual to be more responsive to educational instruction. However, there is little data available on the efficacy of vision therapy for treating learning disabilities or dyslexia.

2)

Hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), is the medical use of oxygen at a level higher than atmospheric pressure.

A Sechrist Monoplace hyperbaric chamber at the Moose Jaw Union Hospital, Saskatchewan, Canada

HBOT is controversial and health policy regarding its uses is politically charged. Both sides of the controversy on the effectiveness of HBOT is available in the form of Cochrane Library reviews

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperbaric_medicine

**chip anderson** · 05-17-2009, 07:53 AM

Chris:

Are you sure it's the use of oxygen at a higher than atmospheric pressure? I understood it was the use of regular old ordinary air at higher than atmospheric pressure.
And yes, I know the components of atmospheric gases.

Chip

**Chris Ryser** · 05-17-2009, 02:07 PM

Chip,

Actually I knew nothing about and never even heard of it so I looked it up. I can not figure out what this should do to amblyopia.

However in younger years I was involved a lot in my old hometowns school of orthoptic and pleoptics, so whenever someting comes up in that area it triggers some thoughts.

read up on it at:
http://books.google.ca/books?id=KzyE...num=2#PPR21,M1