EYE PRESSURE OR GLAUCOMA:INDIA'S CHALLENGES AHEAD

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of preventable blindness in India. With a rapidly growing ageing population there will be 16 million patients of glaucoma by 2020.
The World Glaucoma Association has set a goal of reducing the undiagnosed rate of glaucoma from 50% to "No more than 20% by 2020". According to R George (Indian Journal of Opthalmology Vol 56(2),2008)"this goal is attainable if we work together to increase awareness of glaucoma both among the public as well as among healthcare providers. We also need to ensure that quality eye examinations are available and performed by all eye care professionals in the country."

Eye Bags, Puffy Eyes and Dark Circles under your eyes?

Dark Circles under your eyes?Baggy eyes?Puffiness of eyes?.......Most of your friends or colleagues would blame it on a lack of sleep.......not anymore.....
1. The main cause may actually be much more basic : The gravitational pull your skin. The longer you’re exposed to gravity (i.e., the older you get) the more your facial tissues sink toward the floor.
2.The other reason why we have bags under our eyes is the loosening of tissues due to the aging process.The upper and lower eyelids are composed of skin, muscle and fat. With age, the muscles weaken and can’t hold up the skin as tightly. Skin also changes because the collagen, a protein ,inside it degrades. Collagen keeps our skin taut by providing elasticity.Less collagen means wrinking and sagging of skin
3.Fat beneath the skin and muscle can result in under-eye puffiness .Frederic Brandt, M.D., a dermatologist in Miami and New York City mentions "aging causes the fat pad below the eye to thin, producing a sunken appearance.Fluids that get trapped in eye tissue can trigger puffiness, while excess fat in the area can produce a permanent puffy look."
4.Bloating too much alcohol and/or salt can make you retain water everywhere, including around the eyes.Irritants in the air such as pollutants also seem to exacerbate the bags.
5. Bags under the eyes is mainly hereditary.Thyroid, kidney and heart disease and use of some medications makebaggy eyes appear worse.So if your parents puffed up, then you probably will too at around the same age.
TREATMENT?????
1.In most cases resting and sleeping on anelevated pillow is the best you can do !!!
2.Cheap alternatives include folk remedies like cucumber slices and tea bags laid on top of closed eyes. People use them because they think the cooling from the cucumbers or the natural anti-diuretic in caffeinated tea might help.
3.Try eye gel. Gels can temporarily tighten the skin under your eyes,reducing the appearance of bags and fine wrinkles
4.Vitamin E: A natural and effective treatment is to use vitamin E oil and rub the oil overnight around your eyes.
5.Potato: Strain the juice of grated potato and saturate cotton wool pads withit or lay the grated vegetable on the eye between the muslin. Slicesof raw potato may soothe swollen eyelids and reduce swelling andpuffiness.
6.Castor Oil: A drop of perfectly fresh castor oil smeared along the eyelids may help remove puffiness.
7.Transconjunctival Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgery performed by eye surgeons and plastic surgeons.Dr.Rajesh Parekh, eye surgeon mentions that these days, many people are enhancing their faces with injected collagen and other facial fillers. Fillers work to plump up areas of the face . Restylane is a cosmetic filler that was approved by the FDA in 2003 is being used to treat under eye circles.

Eye Drops:Watch out

The adverse effects of topical steroid administration to the eye are well known.These include glaucoma, cataract, exacerbation of corneal infection, and systemic effects secondary to systemic absorption.Scientific reports have stressed on the potential reactivation or exacerbation of herpes simplex keratitis, together with an increased risk of other infections,steroid induced glaucoma and cataracts following prolonged unsupervised administration of topical steroid eyedrops.

Eye Injuries :Watch your eyes

Exploding carbonated beverage bottles cause serious injuries can cause serious ocular injuries, loss of vision and even loss of eye.
The earliest report in the ophthalmic literature that is devoted to eye injuries from exploding bever­age bottles is from Germany by Leydecker.Gupta AK reported cases of such injuries.He suggested a need for proper regulatory standards for assessing the quality and strength of carbonated bottles in India. Uniform Standards can be prescribed by Indian Standard Institute which may help to eliminate defective bottles and to ensure that the internal pressure within a bottle does not exceed its strength. Bottlers may be asked to attach instructions on proper handling and storage.

Air Conditioners and health

Staying Too Long in an Air-Conditioned Rooms is Bad for Eyes
People who wear contact lenses or have to use computers for a substantial period of time every day are advised by doctors not to stay too long in an air-conditioned rooms.
Staying in an air-conditioned room too long in the summertime may contribute to xerophthalmia, or dryness of eyeballs.
Those who use computers for long stretches at a time stare at the screen often and blink less, which may expose the cornea to more dry air in a room with air-conditioning.

Symptoms are sore eyes, itchiness and eye infections.

Those who wear contacts, especially soft lens users, need more moisture to keep the lenses from falling off, but moisture easily dries off in an air-conditioned room,it is said.

HEALTH RELATED QUERIES

I have tried many weight loss programs but none of them seem to work on me. I lose hardly a kilo or two and then regain it. What is the matter with my body? Why doesn't it respond to any of these programs? Is something wrong with my exercise? Please help.

Ans:YOu must alter your lifestyle slowly. Increase your physical activity. Walking is the best exercise. Take plenty of fruits such as melons and papaya,and also salads.Check your thyroid level.

VISION and SPECTACLES-A BRIEF OVER VIEW

The most commonly prescribed spectacle lenses are 'single vision' lenses. Single vision lenses have only one power in the lens and allow you to see clearly in either the distance or at near. Most younger people who wear spectacles have single vision lenses but as people get older, they gradually lose the ability to alter the focus of their eyes ('presbyopia'), and usually some time between the ages of 40 and 50, they develop a need for corrective lenses for both distance and near vision. They can use two pairs of single vision spectacles and change them as necessary or, alternatively, one pair of multifocal lenses. As the name suggests multifocal lenses are lenses which have more than one power, allowing the wearer to focus at more than one distance.

There are different types of multifocal lenses: bifocal and progressive. Bifocal lenses have two distinct segments with different powers. In most cases a top segment is used to see in the distance while aAnother way of providing multiple corrections in one lens is to have a gradual change between the distance and near corrections. This type of lens is known as a progressive addition lens (also known as a "PAL" or "progressive" lens). This type of lens allows the wearer to focus on all distances, there being a gentle change from distance to intermediate to near focus as one looks through different parts of the lens. lower segment is used for reading and other close tasks such as sewing.