Microbiome: Sometimes we tend to take our bodies for granted. But if we recognize the sophisticated inner workings that go into them, we would treat them with greater respect. Since the eye is our second most complex organ after the brain, it should come as no surprise that we’ve always been fascinated by it. Everything in our body is connected.Â
So it’s no wonder that healthy vision and a healthy brain strongly correlate with a healthy gut. And get this there are more than 100 trillion microorganisms in the human gut, and they can all affect your eyes. Did we pique your interest? In that case? Stick around and keep watching as we dig deep and answer the big question
 how does our gut microbiome affect our eyes? Let’s jump into it.Â
Gut Microbiome And Gut Microbiota
The term microbiome generally refers to the genetic makeup of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeast in or around the human body. Individual microbes themselves are commonly referred to as microbiota, food, medicines, stress, and sleep habits can impact the bacteria traveling to our gut, affecting microorganisms and viruses part of the microbiome and significantly impacting human health and disease.Â
These free-living microorganisms are involved in various physiological processes, including nutrition, host immunity, drug metabolism, and endocrine signaling.Â
They are found in the gastrointestinal tract and are shaped by environmental and lifestyle factors including geography, diet, and medications. Research suggests that 70% of our immune system is in the gut.Â
Microbiota’s Role In The Development And Progression Of Eye Illnesses
Some illnesses include diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and UV itis. A study indicates that some naturally occurring gut microbes can trigger UV itis a disorder causing blindness.Â
Suppose a healthy gut microbiota performs its duties in digestion and immune system defense and keeps the body balanced. When the gut microbiota causes systemic inflammation because of abnormal activity. The body will defend itself from the onset of numerous illnesses.Â
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
AMD is an acquired retinal degeneration resulting in central vision impairment because of the derangement of neurovascular and non-neuro vascular blood vessels.Â
As the general population ages and if they are smokers, vision impairment rapidly increases. According to a meta-analysis, AMD was predicted to impact roughly 200 million people globally in 2020 and 300 million in 2040. Despite significant geographic and lifestyle variations.Â
Glaucoma
Glaucoma can damage the eye’s optic nerve and can worsen over time. A rise in internal ocular pressure is typically the cause of Glaucoma is often genetic and doesn’t appear until much later in life. The optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain can be harmed by increasing fluid pressure in the eye and within a few years, resulting in total blindness or irreversible vision loss.Â
According to research, the link between Helicobacter pylori infection of bacteria that infects your stomach and the raised ocular pressure caused by glaucoma has become a trending topic of study. Research shows that h pylori may be a catalyst for a systemic autoimmune response, which causes a number of inflammatory chemicals to be released, as studies continue on this link.Â
Diabetic Retinopathy
Other illnesses such as diabetic retinopathy are common. Diabetic retinopathy is the most general complication of diabetes and is a severe microvascular condition.Â
It’s predicted that by 2030, there will be nearly 200 million cases of this condition. important insights have been made stating a potential connection between the gut microbiome and diabetic retinopathy. Research has shown that critical physiological activity like metabolic energy, and microenvironmental homeostasis is influenced by gut microbiota changes.Â
Dry Eyes
Dry eye disease is a common ailment that arises when your tears cannot sufficiently moisten your eyes. This can happen for various reasons. For instance, dry eyes may develop if your tear production is insufficient or have poor quality.Â
The instability of the tears can cause inflammation and surface damage to the eyes. And surprisingly, abnormalities in the eye’s surface microbiota can be found similar to those in the gut microbiome. Changes in the eye’s microbiota also impact ocular autoimmunity and decrease the generation of immunoglobulin deficiency.Â
Balance Gut Microbiome
We can change the gut microbiome for the better with certain antibiotics, short-chain fatty acids, high-fiber diets, and pre and probiotics. When administered in the correct dosage form, they help to balance and normalize the gut microbiome.Â
Antibiotics, antibiotics are the most obvious way to change the bacteria in the gut. Based on animal experiments, if you use targeted antibiotics to change the bacteria in the gut, you can dramatically reduce the severity of autoimmune diseases.Â
Increasingly, more evidence shows that antibiotics change how our immune system works, and how well we can fight off infections and digest food.Â
Short-Chain Fatty Acids And A Diet With A Lot Of Fiber
Ongoing research shows that different diets can positively affect the microbiota, which can help reduce inflammation in the eyes. Some bacteria will become more active in the gut if you eat a lot of fiber. These bacteria make short-chain fatty acids that help regulatory T cells develop and make it less likely that your eyes will get inflamed. Probiotics. Some types of bacteria that live in the gut can stop inflammation from getting worse.Â
Probiotics might change the makeup of the gut microbiome and provide beneficial functions to the gut microbial communities. This could improve gut inflammation and other intestinal or systemic disease problems, maybe even outright stop them from occurring.Â
What we consume and how gut bacteria alter their contents impact the structure and operation of microbial communities in the gut. The relationship between microorganisms in our bodies and our eyes has recently attracted more attention.
2 comments
I could not refrain from commenting. Exceptionally well written!
Thank you