Health
Elton John’s vision loss: How an eye infection can cause blindness
World-renowned singer-songwriter Elton John confirmed he has lost sight in his right eye after suffering from a severe infection.
On the opening night of his musical adaptation of “The Devil Wears Prada” in London, John shared, “I haven’t been able to come to many of the previews because, as you know, I have lost my eyesight.”
“So, it’s hard for me to see it, but I love to hear it and, boy, it sounded good tonight,” he said.
ELTON JOHN HAS ‘LOST MY EYESIGHT’ FOLLOWING SEVERE INFECTION
John first posted to his Instagram account in September that he had been dealing with a “severe eye infection” over the summer that has “unfortunately left me with only limited vision in one eye.”
“Since Sir Elton John did not state what type of eye infection he has, it is unclear whether he has complete blindness in his right eye or if there is still some partial vision,” Dr. Thuy Tran, optometrist and founder of Oculist in New York City, told Fox News Digital.
“It is possible that he may still be able to perceive light and motion, but is unable to discern enough details to read letters or musical notes,” added Tran, who did not treat the singer.
“He may also be experiencing other signs and symptoms, such as thick mucous discharge, pain, irritation, excessive tearing and redness.”
Types of eye infections
The most common types of eye infections are viral conjunctivitis and bacterial conjunctivitis, according to Tran.
“Viral conjunctivitis, caused by adenovirus, are like common colds and typically resolve on their own within a few weeks,” he said.
“When caused by herpes simplex virus, varicella zoster virus (same virus that is responsible for chicken pox and shingles), or cytomegalovirus (seen in immunocompromised individuals i.e. those with HIV/AIDS), more serious complications, such as corneal scarring, retinal damage and vision loss, may result.”
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Bacterial eye infections usually resolve within a week with proper antibiotic treatment, usually eyedrops or ointment, the doctor noted.
“A hyperacute bacterial eye infection, however, can be severe and rapidly progressive,” Tran warned. “If not treated immediately, it can lead to corneal ulcers, scarring and blindness.”
“This condition is most commonly caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a type of bacteria that can be transmitted through sexual contact.”
Fungal eye infections are often caused by fungi that are naturally present in our environment, according to Tran.
“Common risk factors include trauma to the eye with plant material, extended contact lens wear and diabetes,” he said.
Fungal infections are usually treated with topical or oral antifungal therapies.
“Rarely, they can lead to a medically-urgent condition known as endophthalmitis, which often requires hospitalization for administration of intravenous medications.”
Potential for permanent damage
Dr. Derek Cunningham, eye doctor and director of Dell Laser Consultants in Austin, Texas, also spoke with Fox News Digital about the dangers of both internal and external infections in the eyes.
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An internal infection can be caused by a virus, said Cunningham, who also did not treat Elton John. If it reaches the retina, or the back of the eye, permanent vision loss can occur.
More commonly, eye infections are the result of external triggers and trauma to the front of the eye, like scratches, chemical splashes or the misuse of contact lenses, he noted.
These incidents then allow bacteria and other foreign organisms to “colonize in the eye,” Cunningham said.
“Because [the eye] is specifically designed to transmit light, the cellular structure of all the tissues is very precise, and it cannot be altered.”
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“So, any amount of immune response or even bacterial or viral infection is going to cause not only a disruption in the cells, but it could potentially cause scarring – and that is going to reduce vision, very often on a permanent level,” he went on.
While the eye is sensitive and may have a harder time warding off infection since it’s a “compartmentalized” system, Cunningham said, the cornea is also the “fastest-healing tissue in the human body.”
But as people age, the body heals more slowly – so someone like John, who is 77 years old, will be at a higher risk of elongated infection compared to those who are younger.
“A little kid can scratch their eye and within hours be completely healed,” Cunningham said. “In an elderly person, [injury] can last for days, and that’s where the chance of infection builds up – every minute that the tissue is still compromised.”
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Some eye complications can be spotted and addressed early on during routine eye exams.
Cunningham recommends paying attention to visual function – and if vision is compromised, symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor.
“If there is … anything really infectious in the eye, the potential for vision loss is extremely high — and it’s permanent. It very often doesn’t ever come back.”
Representatives for John did not return Fox News Digital’s immediate request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this report.
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Pancreatic cancer patient survival doubled with high dose of common vitamin, study finds
High doses of vitamin C could be a new breakthrough in treating cancer.
The University of Iowa Health Care Carver College of Medicine has shared results from a randomized, phase 2 trial testing the impact of adding high-dose vitamin C to intravenous chemotherapy treatments for pancreatic cancer patients.
The researchers found that administering 75 grams of vitamin C three times a week doubled overall survival rates of patients with late-stage metastatic pancreatic cancer from eight months to 16 months.
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The study, published in the journal Redox Biology, also found that progression-free survival was extended from four to six months.
Lead researcher Joseph Cullen, MD, University of Iowa professor of surgery and radiation oncology, shared in an interview with Fox News Digital that the “groundbreaking” findings are the result of 20 years of research on vitamin C.
After testing vitamin C in the lab, Iowa researchers found that using vitamin C in much higher doses “worked great” in killing cancer cells.
“Vitamin C, which is inexpensive and well-tolerated, may improve the efficacy of chemotherapy with a good quality of life.”
“We found that at these high doses, ascorbate [vitamin C] actually generates hydrogen peroxide,” Cullen said. “And the hydrogen peroxide is what kills the cancer cells.”
The patients who received vitamin C in the phase 2, FDA-approved trial also seemed to “better tolerate the chemotherapy they were given,” according to the researcher.
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“Therefore, they got more chemotherapy for longer periods of time and larger doses of chemotherapy, which also would kill the tumor cells,” he added.
Intravenous vitamin C could also help combat other kinds of cancer, according to Cullen, who mentioned that his colleagues are looking into treating lung and brain cancer.
Dr. Georgios Georgakis, a surgical oncologist at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, noted that these findings could “potentially be a breakthrough” for cancer patients.
“It seems to be working synergistically with chemotherapy,” Georgakis, who was not involved in the study, said in a separate conversation with Fox News Digital.
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Dr. Joshua Strauss, an attending hematologist and medical oncologist at Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates of the Atlantic Medical Group in Morristown, New Jersey, also expressed his support for this method.
“Small clinical trials such as this one have recently provided exciting and consistent signals that vitamin C, which is inexpensive and well-tolerated, may improve the efficacy of chemotherapy with a good quality of life,” the oncologist, who also was not involved in this new research, said in a statement sent to Fox News Digital.
The benefits of vitamin C
Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an “essential dietary nutrient” found in various foods like citrus fruits, tomatoes, potatoes, broccoli, strawberries, cabbage and spinach, according to Strauss.
Georgakis noted that vitamin C can help with tissue growth and repair, collagen production, wound healing, bone and skin health, and immune support.
In lower doses, vitamin C acts as an antioxidant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends getting 75mg to 90mg daily.
Once the body has taken in enough vitamin C, any excess is excreted through the kidneys and won’t be absorbed, Cullen pointed out.
But once the dosage is bumped to much higher levels, such as 75 grams, it acts as a pro-oxidant.
“So, it actually makes these reactive oxygen species that kill cancer cells well,” he said.
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It would take backing from a pharmaceutical company to support what would be a “multi-million-dollar” phase 3 trial to continue research, according to Cullen.
For now, he suggests that cancer patients interested in exploring IV vitamin C should talk to their oncologist and seek out professionals who can administer it.
Strauss applauded the researchers and the National Cancer Institute for their efforts, noting that he read the results with “cautious optimism.”
“Pancreatic cancer can be extremely difficult to treat, and I am hopeful whenever I read positive results from a phase 2 study,” he went on. “However, the study has several limitations, and the results should be carefully interpreted.”
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Strauss and the study authors acknowledged some of those limitations, including the small sample size of 34 patients and lack of diversity.
“Larger randomized phase 3 trials are needed to confirm the results before this is adopted into widespread clinical use,” Strauss told Fox News Digital.
Georgakis agreed that although the trial did have a “very good outcome,” this is “not the golden bullet for treating cancer.”
“However, this is exactly what we need – incremental, good outcomes in our fight against cancer,” he said.
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