Glaucoma Battles: Winning the War on the Scar
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness around the world. It is caused by a blockage of the fluid drainage system in the eye. This leads to pressure build-up that threatens to destroy the optic nerve, a very delicate structure of the eye. Eye doctors wage the battle against glaucoma by using drops and employing a decompressing procedure called trabeculectomy. Simply put, a tiny hole is made in eyeball to create a channel through which fluid can drain into a reservoir called a bleb. This bleb is a pocket the surgeon creates with the outermost layer of the eyeball (conjunctiva). On the surface of the bleb is a network of blood vessels which serve as an alternate drain.
Sounds like an easy mechanical operation? But this is far from the truth. After trabeculectomy, the surgeon must watch the bleb very closely as it will close if it scars down. Since the body is naturally bound to heal itself, from a simple cut to a surgical wound, something must be done to avoid this. A scar evolves from an army of specialized cells called fibroblasts. As more fibroblasts are recruited, they eventually create a barricade around the site of injury and permanently seal it off with a scar.
Surgeons outwit this natural healing process by employing an arsenal of drugs such as 5-flourouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin (MMC) which stop the onslaught of fibroblasts in the bleb site. However these drugs (called antimetabolites) are also notorious for thoughtlessly destroying nearby tissue structures of the eye. They are like blind soldiers in the battlefield aimlessly firing their guns destroying all they encounter. This destruction of tissue can later result in chronic eye irritation as well as potential infection and loss of vision.
This dilemma has the potential to be solved with a new drug class called Alkylphosphocholines (APCs). The advantage of APCs lies in their ability to be tissue selective – arresting a growing army of fibroblasts without harming other structures of the eye. Like a skilled sniper that aims straight at the target without hitting bystanders, APCs may be able to halt the formation of scar tissue while avoiding the vision-threatening side effects of antimetabolites.
Another way to avoid damage to collateral tissue is to use the body’s natural drainage ducts (instead of creating a new one). This is the principle behind Canaloplasty. This exciting new procedure makes use of a small flexible tube which opens the natural canal of the eye. Since there is no need for a bleb, it forgoes the need for trabeculectomy and medications like 5-FU and MMC.
David Richardson, M.D. was trained at Harvard Medical School, is Board Certified, holds an active license in the State of California, and has performed thousands of eye surgeries. As the first “interventional eye surgeon” in the San Gabriel Valley, he is certified to perform Canaloplasty.
Website: http://www.David-Richardson-MD.com Blog: http://www.new-glaucoma-treatments.com/
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Contact Lenses Side Effects
Side effects of common lenses even though minor are quite common. But the overall risk of developing an eye condition is relatively low. A well informed person can easily avoid complications and engendering their own health. In the following lines you will read about some of the most common problems caused by contact lenses. Most of these problems are caused by an insufficient supply of oxygen at the cornea. Between the side effects are dry eyes, a blurry or foggy vision caused by the lack of oxygen to the cornea, swellings, scrapes and scratches usually caused by lens that do not fit properly. Depending on the person wearing the contacts he could experience an allergic reaction to the material used to create the lens or to solution used to clean and disinfect the lens. Mineral deposits on the lens that can lead to infections are frequent with hard lenses. But when you start to feel uncomfortable wearing the lens you should remove it in order to prevent any infections. Another side effect of wearing contact lenses id eye inflammation and eyelids inflammation (bumps can form under the eyelids). Some of these side effects are more common with certain types of contact lenses while other can be prevented by simply cleaning the lens.
If you want to feel comfortable wearing your contact and to avoid any health problems you should always clean the lenses, do not wear longer than prescribed and if the situation persists you should contact your eye care specialist. He will be able to determine what the problem is and how to fix it. If you experience any symptoms of irritation you should immediately remove the lenses but do not throw them away; contact your doctor and give him the lenses. He/ she will determine whether you have an allergic reaction or whether there is something wrong with the contact lenses.
While wearing contacts you may experience flaring or halos around bright light, but this mostly happens when you wear you lenses during the night. If the symptoms do not disappear in several days you should remove the contacts. If you sleep with your lenses on you may wake up in the morning and realize that your vision is distorted but if you simply remove the lens and clean it the side effect should fade away. People over 40 years old may experience problems when reading with contact lenses. Most of the time this problem is caused by a condition called presbyopia. If your eyes do not adjust in time you will need to switch to glasses or undergo surgery.
Here are a few tips that will help any prevent that may occur while wearing contact lenses: you should always remember to wash your hand with soap before touching the lenses. Make sure that the soap does not contain any chemical that may act as an allergen. Use an enzymatic cleaner to remove any residue, store the lenses in clean containers, presume, hair spray etc should be used before inserting the lenses while make-up should be applied after you have your contact lenses on.
Terry Teamer has been an electrician in Tampa for over 30 years. Visit website at http://superiorelectrictampa.com/
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Wrinkle Cream For The Eyes
Most people find that the first sign of aging is thin lines about the eyes. If these project sideways from the outer corners of the eyes, they are referred to as “crows’ feet”. It’s the first sign people look to when attempting to appraise someone’s age. Therefore, it is the first place that people who want to cover up their age turn their attention to.
The skin about the eyes is some of the thinnest and most delicate that we have and so it does have difficulty retaining moisture. This is why most individuals who use moisturizer start applying moisturizer to the skin about the eyes first – often quite young in life, well before their skin really needs it, in the hope that their skin will appreciate the assistance by never showing its real age.
However, you can not merely put any old cream on your face and hope for the best, so here are a couple of pointers to help make your choice of anti-wrinkle cream successful.
The first thing to realize is that no manufacturer of anti-wrinkle cream is going to tell you the whole truth. They all use clever words to hide the truth. Anti-wrinkle cream is not like paint, you cannot believe what you read on the tin. So, you will have to go by private recommendation and trial and error.
Give a cream a couple of weeks or until the first pot runs out and if there is no improvement, move on. What works for your friend may not be of use for you, there being several types of skin.
Do you in fact know your skin sort? Have you ever had it analyzed? If, not this is a sensible place to begin. Once you know the skin sort you have about your eyes, you can eliminate at least two-thirds of the creams on the supermarket shelves.
Most honest specialists on skin aging will tell you that the greatest enemy of smooth skin is the sun. Therefore, you should apply a moisturizing sunscreen around the eyes from an early age. If the skin about your eyes is super-sensitive or you are allergic to creams, you should always wear a wide-brimmed hat or at least avoid going out in the sun while it is at its hottest, say, between 10 AM and 4 PM. and wear sunglasses that will block out the UV rays.
Applying antioxidants to the outside and the inside of the skin will help too. It is at least as vital what you drink as what you rub on. Drinking alcohol and smoking are known to dry out the skin. Avoid diuretics like coffee as well. Diuretics cause you to lose more water than you take in with it, so for example, drinking a cup of coffee might cause you to lose a coffee cup and a quarter of bodily fluids.
Your skin needs lots of moisture, you can help it by applying it from the outside, but you can also help it by drinking lots of water, which will also help your body flush out toxins – a double whammy!
Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a number of subjects, but is now concerned with Designer Spectacles. If you would like to know more, please visit our web site at Spectacles Direct.
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What's the Deal With Colored Contact Lenses
Colored contact lenses – who doesn’t want them? Colored contacts are the hot trend today, especially among the young. They want to imitate their favorite stars, who seems to have contact lenses of various colors, to fit their hair color and their clothing.
Of course, not everyone who wears colored contacts are young. Some people are mature and older individuals as well. Contact lenses are generally worn by people who have sight problems and who do not want to wear glasses or bifocals because of their unsightly or unattractive appearance.
For the benefit of the few who do not know what contact lenses are, they are small devices, usually made of soft plastic, that comfortable fits over the eyeballs of its wearers. Contacts are not new, of course; they have actually been around for more than 100 years. What is new about them to many people today is the different types and varieties of contact lenses that are available.
There are many, many different styles and colors of lenses that can vary from place to place. Some popular brands are Acuvue Colors and Freshlook contacts. You can find colors varying from blues to greens to browns which allow you to perform a subtle or more dramatic change to the color of your eyes. It’s completely up to you. Many people try a variety of different colors to see which ones they like the best. This can even be done by requesting free samples of colored contacts.
But basically, they have been two types of lenses, the conventional ones, the ones that are plain and ordinary-looking, just like the average color of one’s eyes, and there are, of course, colored contacts that so many people are talking about. You can get them with or without vision correction.
You should know that in order to get colored contacts in places like the United States, England and Canada, you will most likely be required to first see an eye doctor and get a prescription. This is true even if you do not need vision correction because they are considered to be medical devices by law. Going through that examination is easy but you will have to pay for it. Just call to make an appointment and tell them that you want to get fitted for colored contact lenses and they will know what needs to be done.
Yes, colored contact lenses are all the rage, but it is up to the consumer to decide which ones are right for them.
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