Squint - eyed !

Correction is easy if diagnosed early:

by Nilma Dole

Squints are cosmetically not very attractive even though people have superstitious beliefs that such children bring luck. “Many people often think that the squint eye condition is something that will be corrected over time but this is not true,” said President of the Sri Lanka College of Oncologists, Dr. Dharma Irugalbandara. Squint eye doesn’t disappear over time and needs to be corrected promptly. “The problem is that the vision is diverged because one eye looks at one angle and the other looks elsewhere and this can affect the vision of the child when they grow up” she said. Squint can be easily corrected so parents of children with the squint should go to an ophthalmologist quickly before the child grows with the condition thinking that it will correct itself.

Aligned

The medical term for the squint eye is known as strabismus where the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. “This causes one of the eyes to turn inwards (converge), outwards (diverge) or sometimes upwards, while the other eye looks forward and this can totally affect depth perception and judgment” said Dr. Irugalbandara. Further she added, “It can be noticed by parents when their baby is a few weeks old and it affects 5-8% of children (1-2 in every 30).” The most common symptom of a squint is one of the eyes not looking straight ahead or your child may also look at you with one eye closed, or with their head turned to one side, or have photo phobia which is difficulty in facing light. “These may be clues that they are experiencing double vision, and could be a sign that they have a squint” said the doctor.

There are different types of squints. A baby can have a congenital squint (born with the condition), particularly if it runs in the family or it can come about due to muscle or nerve problems in the eye, possibly as a result of a childhood disease like Toxoplasmosis.

If a child is long sighted, their eyes will attempt to focus so much that squint occurs when he/she is not wearing spectacles. “Treatment should be done at a young age like getting your child to wear glasses if they are long sighted,” she said.

A patch may need to be worn over the good eye, to encourage the eye with the squint to work harder,brain to be stimulated and become trained to work properly and in some cases, special eye drops or eye exercises can train the eye to function well. If none of these treatments help, then surgery may be required.

Surgery

Surgery for a squint involves moving the muscles attached to the outside of the eye to a new position.

It may sometimes be necessary to operate on both eyes in order to ‘balance’ them effectively, even if the squint is only in one eye. “Don’t worry about the operation because your child can see well, since surgery does not touch the focusing part of the eye” said Dr. Irugalbandara.

A complication that can develop if a squint is untreated is amblyopia in which the vision in the affected eye gradually gets worse because the brain starts to ignore the weaker message being sent from that eye. “Once this has occurred, it is not possible to correct the damage, which is why it is so important that any squint must be treated early”, Dr. Irugalbandara concluded.

Variety in meals could give you longer life

Food containing anti-oxidants, whole grains and vital fatty acids cut the risk of major illnesses like heart disease, Alzheimer’s and diabetes, a study shows.

Scientists found that the diet could reduce cholesterol - a major cause of heart disease - by a third and bring blood pressure down by nearly a tenth, reports express.co.uk.

But rather than just a narrow range of foods being responsible for boosting health, the study showed that the answer was a widely varied diet that might include oily fish, porridge oats and blueberries. It has long been known that keeping active and a healthy diet can hold back the onset of a range of diseases like heart problems and cancer.

Previous studies have put this down to eating lots of antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables and nuts, others to a diet rich in fish containing essential fatty acids, like fresh mackerel, and some to wholegrain cereals.

Nutritionist Angela Dowden said: “The key is definitely to introduce these kinds of foods into the diet. It is a very healthy diet and completely proves the point that it is about healthy eating as a whole, not just doing one thing.”

“It is a lifestyle change instead of tweaks here and there. It could be that it is just one of the foods that is producing these effects but it is much more likely that it is an additive affect of them all contributing,” she added.

- Hindustan Times

Vision care

by Harriet Cooper

Look in a mirror. Imagine seeing a blurred reflection or a dark hole where your face should be. That’s what having cataracts or age-related macular degeneration (AMD) looks like. Now imagine you can slow down or stop vision loss.

You can. From healthy foods to everyday supplements, what you eat affects your eyes.

Eye care solutions: Red, tired, or dry eyes? Don’t reach for commercial eye drops that promise to get the red out. They work by shrinking the blood vessels in the eye, but overuse can make dry eyes worse, while their preservatives act as an irritant.

Check your local health food store for herbal remedies and eyewashes.

Look for products containing camomile or eyebright (Euphrasia).

Consider adding more omega-3-rich foods to your diet to help relieve dry eye symptoms.

Note: prolonged red, irritated, or painful eyes may indicate a medical condition. Consult your health care practitioner.

AMD can steal your vision

The macula, a small spot on the retina, gives your sight its acuity, colour perception, and functionality in daylight.

Researchers describe AMD as a severe speeding up of the aging of the retina and surrounding tissues. AMD starts with a small loss of central vision; in advanced cases it can lead to blindness.

AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss among people 55 and older. According to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, one million Canadians have some form of AMD-a number expected to double within 25 years as the population ages.

Supplements, healthy eating slow AMD

The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), a major long-term clinical trial sponsored by the US National Eye Institute, is a major source of information on AMD. AREDS researchers developed a formulation containing the antioxidant vitamins C, E, and A plus zinc and copper.

This formulation reduced the risk of progression to advanced AMD by 25 percent, and the risk of moderate vision loss by 19 percent in intermediate or later stages.Omega-3 fatty acids also play a significant role. Two to three weekly servings of fatty fish, such as tuna, salmon, or mackerel, reduced the risk of both early and late AMD, up to 38 percent in one study.

Tufts University researchers discovered antioxidants interfere with the absorption of omega-3 in early stages of AMD, but not in later stages. That may explain why omega-3 is valuable at all stages of AMD, while the AREDS formulation works in later stages.

AREDS2 is now testing a new formulation with added lutein and zeaxanthin, which absorb eye-damaging blue light waves, and omega-3s.

Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, collard greens, and kale are good sources of lutein; fruits such as oranges, corn, nectarines and persimmons contain zeaxanthin.

Natural herbal products such as bilberry and Ginkgo biloba have traditionally been used to help in the prevention of AMD’s progression. These herbals have undergone some clinical trials, though none have been definitive yet. As with any treatment, check with your health care practitioner.

More dietary effects on AMD Tufts researchers also recommend a low-glycemic diet. They theorize high-glycemic foods, such as white bread and sugary drinks, trigger a rapid rise of blood glucose that damages retinal cells.

But don’t reach for red meat instead. Researchers at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) found heavy consumption of fresh or processed red meat (10 or more servings per week) increased the risk of developing AMD by almost 50 percent. Eating chicken (3.5 servings per week) reduced the risk by 50 percent.

The data on fats is less clear. A study of the Women’s Health Initiative looked at the effects of amount and types of dietary fat and AMD. While monounsaturated fats seemed to protect against AMD, polyunsaturated fats increased the risk of developing AMD for women under 75, but reduced the risk for older women.

Cataracts cloud your vision

Cataracts are a common eye condition caused by age, disease, or injury. As the eye’s lens becomes increasingly rigid, less transparent, and thicker, the lens clouds and can turn yellowish brown. It no longer focuses light directly on the retina, resulting in dim blurred images, light sensitivity, fading or browning of colours, and poor night vision.

Age-related cataracts may begin during our 40s or 50s, but usually don’t affect vision until the 60s. By age 80, more than 50 percent of North Americans either have cataracts or have had corrective surgery.

Managing cataract risk factors

Along with aging, risk factors include:

* medical conditions (genetics, diabetes, high blood pressure, eye injuries)

* medical treatments (X-rays, cancer radiation, eye surgery, long-term steroid use)

* lifestyle (excessive alcohol, obesity, smoking, overexposure to sunlight).

While managing risk factors is important, don’t forget proper nutrition and supplements. The Mayo Clinic endorses a healthy diet with a variety of colourful fruits and vegetables, including green leafy ones to ensure plentiful sources of vitamins and nutrients that could prevent damage to the eye’s lens.

Although research varies, a Tufts University study indicated higher levels of vitamins C and E, riboflavin, folate, a-carotene, and lutein/zeaxanthin may lower the risk of cataracts.

Look after your eyes: eat a diet rich in eye-healthy foods and look for eye-supporting supplements at your natural health store to ensure quality, purity and potency.

Courtesy: Alive

Dry eyes

by Dr. Mahipal Sachdev

Headaches, loss of focus, burning eyes, double or blurred vision or neck and shoulder pain is not uncommon among people who use computers for more than two hours at a stretch. The condition is called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Its symptoms are eye strain and tiredness, temporary weak vision, dry irritated eyes, light sensitivity and other vision and muscular problems that stem from using a computer.

People who are already nearsighted, farsighted, or have astigmatism are more likely to develop computer vision syndrome. Multi-focal lenses make it even more difficult because the screen is higher and further away from the zones meant for distance and near vision. Glare from surrounding lamps and lights can also add to eyestrain.

Solutions:

1. Use proper lighting: The ambient lighting should be about half of that used in most offices. If possible, position your monitor so that windows are at its side, instead of in front or at the back.

2. Adjust the brightness of your computer screen: Closely match the brightness of the environment with that of your computer screen by using the buttons on the monitor.

Also adjust the monitor to make sure the contrast between the screen background and the on-screen characters is high. And make sure that the text size and colour are optimised for comfort.

3. Blink often: Blinking moisturises your eyes and helps avoid dryness and irritation. According to studies, people blink about five times less than usual when working at a computer. Every 30 minutes, blink 10 times by closing your eyes very slowly as if falling asleep.

4. Exercise and stretch your eyes: Look away from your computer screen every 30 minutes and focus for 5-10 seconds on a distant object outside.

5. Take frequent breaks: Follow 20-20-20 rule. Take a 20-second break and look 20 feet away every 20 minutes.

6. Reposition your workstation: If you need to look back and forth between a printed page and your computer screen, this can cause eye-strain. Place written pages on a copy stand adjacent to the monitor. Adjust your workstation and chair to the correct height. Purchase ergonomic furniture to insure proper screen locations and posture.

(The writer is the Chairman and Medical Director, Centre for Sight Group of Eye Hospitals, New Delhi)

Tips for travelling with medications

by Laurie LaRusso

Your bags are packed. You’re checking and double-checking that you’ve got everything. Do you have enough of your blood pressure medication? or allergy pills? or insulin? Whatever medications you take, your trip won’t be much fun if you run out, or your medications are lost, or you get sick because you didn’t take them at the right times. Here’s how to make sure you have your medications when you need them while you’re travelling:

Bring More Than Enough Medication.

Bring extra supply of your medications with you in case you lose or spill some. This will also ensure that you have enough medication with you if your trip is lengthened for some reason. Some medications in your country are not available in other countries. It may be difficult to get a prescription filled away from home.

Bring the prescription

If you do need to get more medication while you’re travelling, you’ll have a much easier time if you have the prescription.

Bring a note from your doctor.

If you take prescription medications, carry a letter from your doctor with you explaining your condition, what medication you take, and the dosage. Make sure you have this information for all the drugs you take. With increased airport security measures, you may find that security officers are more concerned about what you’ve got in your bag. This can be of particular concern if you must carry medical equipment, such as syringes to inject your medication.

Plan for Time Zone changes.

Talk to your doctor about how you’ll adjust your medication schedule to account for changing time zones. When travelling overseas, you can lose or gain as much as a day, so you’ll need to carefully time your medication doses so you don’t miss any.

Pack medications in a carry-on bag.

Keep your medications with you while you’re travelling. You may need to take your medications while you’re in transit-on the airplane, in the airport, on the bus or train. Even if you’re travelling by car, keep medications in the car with you. The trunk of the car and the baggage areas of planes and buses are not temperature controlled, and some medications should not be exposed to very hot and very cold temperatures. Plus, if your luggage gets lost, you could be without it for days.

Bring your own water (and food if necessary).

Do not drink tap water if you are travelling in certain regions.

Instead bring your own or buy bottled water. And if you need to take your medication with food, bring your own snacks. Don’t rely on stores or restaurants to be available or airlines to serve food.

Courtesy: HealthyMe