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

I asked if anyone knew of a connection between celiac disease and retinal
tears.  Also, what could be done to prevent them?  The consensus seemed to be
that there was no known connection between celiac and retinal tears although a
couple of people are suspicious like I was.  Being nearsighted makes one
susceptible (because we have long eyeballs).  My optometrist told me yesterday that
the tear happened where he had been telling me for years that I had some scar
tissue.  I am hoping since I have no other scar tissue spots that means it
won't happen again but who knows?  Here are some of the replies I got.  Thanks to
all who responded!

I don't know if these will help prevent a retinal tear, but eating a
quarter cup of blueberries (frozen when not in season) every day
astonishingly will improve your vision, especially night vision.  I would
recommend organic blueberries.

Also my husband had a problem this way (he is also nearsighted), and then
developed a problem with flashes of light.  The doctor said that was a type
of migraine and that he was probably allergic to caffeine.  My husband
stopped having caffeine and stopped having flashes of light.  So I recommend
you try stopping caffeine.

The specialist did tell me that once it happens in one eye it can happen in
the other/

I worked for an ophthalmologist in Milwaukee, WI for 12 years.  We saw many
retinal tears, mostly in nearsighted people.  The eye is longer in a
nearsighted person, and it just tends to happen to us more easily.  We only
had one patient who had celiac disease, and he never experienced any retinal
problems.

No relationship whatsoever to gluten or CD. There is an increased incidence
of retinal tears in shortsighted people because their eyes are larger than
average ... the only consolation is that laser surgery will "anchor" your
retina so strongly to the underlying choroid that it will not detach ever
again.

I am also in my early sixties and they told me I have a vitrious detachment
but now I'm wondering.  I still have a lot of problems in one eye.  My
problems started 2 wks after I had a car accident.  I started seeing white
flashes on the side of my eye, those have disappeared, now it is like a
curtain coming down every time I move my eye.   I do have celiac and the
optamologist did say she saw some scar tissue behind the eye.

I am 28 years old and had eye surgery to correct uveitis when I was 12.
Through the procedure, I got a detached retina, that has since been repaired; but
the vision in my right eye where the detached retina is, is not 20/20.  In
fact, my left eye does most of the work.  Things are distorted when I look
through my right eye only.  I happen to think my condition is related to Celiac
Disease, just because it causes so many other things.

I don't know how to prevent it from happening again, just to take supplements
and vitamins to insure your health.  I just wanted to let you know I have a
retina problem and maybe others on this list do, too.

I am 37 years old and last year at the eye doctor, he said that my retina is
very thin in a couple of places.  I was not diagnosed at that time and he was
surprised that someone of my age would have this problem with no other obvious
medical conditions.  Now that I've been diagnosed with celiac disease, I'm
thinking this might be the cause.

* Please remember some posters may be WHEAT-FREE, but not GLUTEN-FREE *