<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thank you all of you who took the time to tell me of YOUR changes.  The
majority of the responses have been that since going GF their eyesight
has improved somewhat to drastically.  I should've mentioned that I'm
female and 45 (soon to be 46).  The eye dr. confirmed the other day that
my vision had gotten better (in one eye).  He also explained that the
"fluttering" I was getting when attempting to read was due to ~ you
guessed it, age!  Anyway, here are more of the responses I got.  This is
a long summary, figured I'd give you some of the different responses.
"Food for thought."

Kim


**My eyes (contacts - hard gas permeable) fog up more now than before
CD.  Have had contact lenses for 30 years, CD for 2 years.  My doctor
said it was a change in body chemistry - tears/mucus.  I have to enzyme
them a little more often, clean them a little more often.

**After going GF my eyesight improved and I no longer need glasses for
distance vision.

**I too have had problems with my eyes and can no longer where my
contacts without them becoming extremely red. I don't know whether or
not this is related to celiac disease,  but my doctor said my eyes where
so dry that he put plugs in my tear ducts so that more moisture would
stay in my eyes and cornea. I also have been putting prescription
Eurethemysin (sp?) salve in my eyes at night due to an infection caused
by dry eyes as they do not wash out impurities the way they should.
Hopefully it will work as I hate wearing my glasses especially after
wearing contracts for 34 years and this summer not being able to see
when I am swimming etc.=20

**My wife who has been diagnosed with CD since November 97, has, for the
past months, been reporting improved eyesight.  That is one blessing in
disguise.

** I've been a diagnosed celiac for 2 1/2 years.  I'm 42 and also
hypothyroid.  I wore glasses from age 12 to age 15 when I got contacts.
So, I wore contacts about 26 years.  About 1 1/2 years ago, my eyes
started getting too dry to wear the darn things comfortably and my
eyesight had gotten worse.  I thought it might be the hypothyroid.  I
ended up having to switch back to glasses. I had looked into LASIK
surgery for quite awhile but I was hesitant because of the medical
problems.  In a period of about the last 2 years, I visited three
different Lasik offices.  Anyway, to make a long story short, I had
E-LASIK (no cut) on May 30 and I am so happy.  My eyes prior were 20/350
and had astigmatism.  I just went in for a follow-up appointment last
week and I am seeing 20/15.  In spite of what you may have seen on TV,
if you really look for a good doctor who actually sees you at your first
free appointment, checks the depth of your corneas, the results can be
wonderful.  The #1 reason this doctor listed for people wanting LASIK
was dry eyes from wearing contact lenses.  So, he thought it had to do
more with that than the hypothyroid.  Of course, as you get older they
tend to get dryer, too.

**You are so wrong it is that you haven't been absorbing the vit A.

**Might had to do w/ hormones readjusting & the amount of water you
retain...

**Yes.  I used to have very good night vision which now is poor (vitamin
A), and I go through periods where my vision is blurred.=20

**I experienced some dramatic changes in my vision.... mostly
improvements... during my first couple of years. I also experienced a
couple of bouts of total vision loss, each for about a minute. Scary,
but probably the result of low blood pressure, so maybe not related to
your question.  I went from using bifocals before diagnosis to not
needing any correction.  But now my vision is degenerating again.....
probably my age catching up to me.

**I had a change -- for the better. My Dr. found my eyesight had
improved tremendously in my left eye. He said he's never seen such a
reversal before.  By absorbing nutrients, your body is able to function
properly. If you can't absorb, then systems will falter and can fail --

**My children and I have noticed changes in our ability to focus.  I
especially notice difficulty if I've ingested gluten accidentally.

**Since my CD diagnosis, I have had double vision and been diagnosed
with Euthyroid Graves Disease.  Euthyroid means that thyroid tests are
normal; however, they must be repeated every 6 months as they assume
that some day I will have to take medication for Graves Disease.  I now
wear prisms in my eye glasses which prove to be 100% satisfactory -
however, that
doesn't help you with contact lenses.  The last I read was that 5% of
Celiacs also have thyroid problems.

**Yes, my vision amazingly improved GF. I found medical literature from
the 1930's describing vitamin A deficiency in celiacs. Vitamin A is
necessary for vision. Also, my eyes seemed able to focus much quicker
than before. And, in general, I seemed more nimble and able to move my
muscles more rapidly. For this I don't have an explanation.

**Have you had a fasting blood glucose test recently? Diabetes can cause
vision problems. I know, because I experienced the same problem just
before I was diagnosed at age 57 with Type II diabetes. Please don't
panic, though, because many things can cause vision disturbances.

**If you're in your forties, it's probably reading glasses time, or get
a reading lens. My dominant eye has the reading contact lens and the
other eye has the distance lens. Works great. About 6 of my friends have
this. I've worn contacts since 1957, am 58. Bet you didn't know they
even had lenses in '56!!=20

**My 9 year old daughter had a dramatic change in her eyesight after
going gluten-free.  She had worn glasses for close up reading and
distance for 2 years.  Then she went gluten-free in August 2000.  During
this past school year, she told me she didn't need her glasses any more.
 We had her eyesight retested and (lo and behold) she was right!  But it
just goes along with all the other benefits she had noticed from being
gluten-free (clearer memory, less allergies, no rashes, better
endurance, etc). =20

**I have always had problem with allergies and my contact lenses -
particularly the cleaning solutions. I got a new system to clean my
lenses from my opthamologist. It's called Purilens. It uses additive &
preservative free solution and has a UV light in the chamber that kills
the "bugs." I use the disposables - take them out every night and throw
away every month. The
Purilens system made a world of difference. You may be able to find it
on the Web or your opthamologist.=20

**Yes I feel that my vision has got worse since diagnosed 3 years ago. I
find things very blurry, mostly when it starts getting dark out or in a
not so well lit room.=20

**I was diagnosed less than two months ago. I have noticed a very
positive change in my ability to focus. My eyes focus much  faster and
distant difficult to see objects are easier to see.

**Like you, I did not think it possible for my vision to improve; but it
did. I passed the Motor Vehicle vision test without glasses for the
first time in over 2 decades. I then went to the eye doctor. Sure
enough, my distance vision has improved so much that I no longer need
glasses (I have been wearing glasses for 30 + years). When I told the
eye doctor that I thought it had to do with my GF diet he scoffed at me.
I rebutted with , "We were told to eat carrots for good eyes" This all
happened within the past year. I have only been gluten free for 3 years.
 On the other hand, as I am approaching 50, my reading vision is going.
Being undiagnosed all my life I suffered with a variety of maladies
which I now suspect could be linked to vitamin deficiencies caused by
malabsorbtion. I explained this thinking to the eye doctor. He
begrudgingly agreed that I could be right.
On the other hand, as I am approaching 50, my reading vision is going.