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Corneal blindness:
prevention is always better than cure Teenagers using
sunbeds may develop deadly skin cancer Health Notes
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Corneal blindness: prevention is always Causes of corneal blindness include the following:
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Vitamin A deficiency According to the World Health Organisation, corneal blindness is one of the world’s leading causes of blindness, second only to cataract. Trachoma, an infectious disease endemic in poor, rural pockets of the developing world, is the leading cause of corneal blindness, with approximately 4.9 million people affected by it. Corneal ulcer due to fungal or bacterial infection is another important cause of monocular corneal blindness in the developing countries such as ours. An injury by some vegetative matter in the case of farmers, the irrational use of steroids, etc, predispose to the high incidence of fungal corneal ulcers in India.
Vitamin A deficiency, associated with severe malnutrition, is the leading cause of paediatric corneal blindness. Approximately 3,50,000 children are blinded because of vitamin A deficiency each year.
Prevention
Corneal blindness prevention depends on the corneal disease being addressed. Preventive measures for trachoma include hygienic practices to stop the spread of the disease such as the building of toilets, which reduces the number of trachoma-carrying flies, and an emphasis on facial cleanliness. Use of proper antibiotics prescribed by your ophthalmologist curbs the infection. Eyelid surgery, done in a timely manner, can prevent the abrasive action of eyelashes turned inward during the later stages of trachoma. Preventive measures for malnutrition-related corneal blindness include the distribution of vitamin A supplements and the introduction of foods rich in vitamin A such as green, leafy vegetables, fish and liver. The preventive measures for the infections passed from the mother to the newborn include prenatal care such as rubella vaccination to prevent the occurrence of any severe ocular disease in the newborn, including corneal clouding. Safety measures like protective eyewear should be used while working in factories, fields, etc. Playing with firecrackers and colours containing harmful chemicals should be discouraged. In addition, harmful traditional medicinal practices need to be discouraged through public education. Safe practices regarding eye health should be promoted.
Surgery for corneal
blindness
Treatment of corneal blindness depends on the underlying disease or condition. Corneal transplants can cure certain types of diseases as long as the cornea has sufficient lubrication and protection by healthy eyelids.
Types of corneal transplants
Full thickness corneal transplant (Penetrating Keratoplasty): This is the conventional method of transplant for deep corneal scars wherein the donor cornea replaces the full thickness of the patient’s own cornea. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK): This surgery involves replacing only the anterior layers of the cornea with the donor cornea. This reduces the risk of rejection and is indicated in cases where the inner layers of the patient’s cornea are healthy. Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) and Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK): In certain cases only the inner corneal layer — endothelium — is weak such as pseudophakic bullous keratopathy or Fuch’s Dystrophy. Here we replace the innermost layer alone with the corresponding healthy inner donor corneal layer. The writer is Chairman & Medical Director, Centre for Sight, New Delhi. Email:
drmahipal@gmail.com
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Teenagers using sunbeds may develop London: A new research has revealed that teenagers who use sunbeds almost double their chances of developing the deadliest form of skin cancer. Those who recurrently use UV booths are nearly twice as likely to develop a life-threatening melanoma, reports the Daily Express. And the earlier that sunbed usage begins, the greater the risk of developing a cancerous tumour before 40. The study found that people under 25 are more vulnerable to UV radiation dangers. More than 600 people diagnosed with skin cancer between the ages of 18 and 39 were examined by researchers at the University of Melbourne.
— ANI
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Health Notes Melbourne: Fried or roasted potatoes, potato crisps, coffee and cereal-based products, including biscuits and toasted bread, can cause cancer, the World Health Organisation has warned. Experts have said that a chemical created when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures has been proven to cause the disease. Following laboratory tests in animals this year, a joint WHO and United Nations expert committee on food additives agreed that there was evidence that the chemical acrylamide caused cancer. “Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has assessed the new data and agrees with the conclusions,” the Courier Mail quoted a FSANZ spokeswoman as saying.
— ANI
Weekend lie-in could
boost your health
London: For all those who are looking for an extra hour or two of sleep on weekends have something to be happy about — scientists have shown that a weekend lie-in could be vital for well-being. Tests on volunteers showed that the occasional sleep-in provides an invaluable antidote to the harmful effects of sleep deprivation. “The additional hour or two of sleep in the morning after a period of chronic partial sleep loss has genuine benefits for continued recovery of behavioural alertness,” the Daily Mail quoted David Dinges of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine as saying. “The bottom line is that adequate recovery-sleep duration is important for coping with the effects of chronic sleep restriction on the brain,” he added.
— ANI
Herpes virus can treat
head and neck cancer
London: Doctors have revealed that with the help of genetically engineered herpes virus they were able to successfully cure patients with head and neck cancer. A London hospital trial of 17 patients has shown that the use of the virus along with chemotherapy and radiotherapy helped kill the tumours in most patients. Study leader Dr Kevin Harrington of the Institute of Cancer Research in London said current treatments were effective if the cancer was diagnosed early. The herpes virus is genetically modified in such a way that it grows inside tumour cells but cannot infect normal healthy cells. Once there it has a triple effect — it multiplies, killing tumour cells as it does so, it is engineered to produce a human protein that activates the immune system and it also makes a viral protein that acts as a red flag to immune cells.
— ANI
Computer screens
retarding kids’ brains
Wellington: A psychologist has warned that computer screens are bad for the brains of young children. Dr Aric Sigman, an American-born British psychologist, warns against computer usage, especially by any children under nine. “Children are adults (legally) at 18 but their brains are not adult till they’re 24 and a half,” The New Zealand Herald quoted Sigman as saying. “Because of that, things that we know may have a negative impact should be limited till the brain has set in stone,” he added. According to Sigman’s study, children aged 10 to 15 who were given computers showed reductions in maths and reading abilities. He added that face-to-face communication for kids is a lot more vital in brain development than technology is.
— ANI
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Cornea is a clear, transparent outermost layer covering the eye. It acts like a windshield and protects the inner structures of the eye. The rays of light pass through the cornea and come to a precise focus on the retina. Any kind of opacity in the cornea can lead to the loss of vision and even blindness.