Rochester, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/28/2015 -- "Infected with the cytomegalovirus (CMV)? The CBCD recommends talking to your doctor about a study published in the peer reviewed medical journal, Pharmacology & Pharmacy. The study discusses effective, natural remedies against the CMV." – Greg Bennett, CBCD

According to research, the CMV can cause blindness in men who have a healthy immune system. (1) Dr. Ian Y. L. Yeung and colleagues wrote in an article for International Opthamology Clinics that "acute retinal necrosis (ARN) is a … devastating condition that usually occurs in immunocompetent individuals. (ARN is an inflammatory condition of the eye that can cause retinal detachment and blindness.)The causative agents are thought to be ... cytomegalovirus (CMV) … (and) … male sex was a risk factor for severe vision loss at 6 and 12 months." (1) Another CMV caused eye condition is also more prevalent in men. "CMV retinitis (CMVR) is a similar viral-mediated infectious uveitides that is more common in men … 60% to 80% of these CMVR patients are male." (1) CMV retinitis is characterized by lesions on the eye, and it can also lead to blindness. "Similar to ARN ... a secondary retinal detachment can occur ." (1)

Click to learn more about CMV symptoms.

When CMV causes acute retinal necrosis, "viral particles in the retina ... provoke an intense inflammatory response ... characteristic inflammation of the retinal arterioles occurs, resulting in ... necrosis of dependent, downstream retinal tissue … approximately 50% of patients will develop retinal detachments in the affected eye after ARN; the majority of retinal detachments occur within 3 months of the onset of ARN." (3) In other words, the virus invades different parts of the eye, which causes massive inflammation. This inflammation severely damages the eye, killing the tissue. This leads to a detachment of the retina, eventually resulting in blindness.

What treatments are available against the cytomegalovirus?

"Several drugs are approved for the treatment of CMV infections in immunocompromised individuals. These drugs include ganciclovir, its oral prodrug valganciclovir, cidofovir, foscavir and fomivirsen. However, the use of these drugs in immunocompetent individuals is limited by their toxicity, poor oral bioavailability, modest efficacy, and the development of drug resistance." (2) There are also two natural CMV remedies, which are discussed in the study mentioned above, which was published in Pharmacology & Pharmacy.

That study can be read here:
http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=36101

References:

(1) Ian Y. L. Yeung, MD; Nicholas A. Popp, BS; Chi-Chao Chan, MD "The Role of Sex in Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation" Int Ophthalmol Clin. 2015;55(3):111-131. medscape.com

(2) Polansky H, Itzkovitz E. Gene-Eden-VIR Is Antiviral: Results of a Post Marketing Clinical Study. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 2013, 4, 1-8

http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=36101#.VCfZypSSz90

(3) Lauren Taney, MD and Vinay A. Shah M.D. "Acute retinal necrosis" Published on December 6, 2014.

http://eyewiki.aao.org/