Progesterone can Effectively Treat Dry Eye Syndrome

A topical cream containing 15% progesterone can effectively treat dry eye syndrome, according to a study.

"The data suggest the anti-inflammatory properties of progesterone may be useful for dry eye treatments," said Charles G. Connor, PhD, OD, in a poster presentation here at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.

Dr. Connor evaluated tear breakup time, Schirmer's test results and IOP and administered the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire to 30 patients to measure the effectiveness of the topical progesterone treatment. He found that tear breakup time significantly improved from 5.96 ± 2.18 seconds at baseline to 8 ± 3.5 seconds after 3 weeks of treatment with the cream. Schirmer's test results also improved after treatment, although not significantly, from 11.9 ± 6.87 mm at baseline to 14.175 ± 8.41 mm.

There was no change in IOP throughout the 3-week treatment period, and the OSDI score reflected symptomatic improvement of 20%, going from 28 to 22, and this was significant at the P = .05 level,Dr. Connor said.

Fusarium Keratitis: General Information And Awareness

What is Fusarium Keratitis?

Fusarium Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea, the clear membrane that covers the colored part of the eye (iris) and pupil of the eye. It is caused by Fusarium which is a large genus of filamentous fungi widely distributed in soil and in association with plants. The higher incidence of fusarium keratitis among normal contact lens wearers is a new finding.

General Symptoms:

Symptoms of Fusarium keratitis include eye pain, foreign body sensation, redness, tearing, discharge, or light sensitivity. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should return to your optometrist immediately.

Prevention:

Adults and children who wear contact lenses should on a regular basis use sterile lens-cleaning and disinfecting solutions. Tap water is not sterile and should not be used to clean contact lenses. It is important to go for follow-up checkups because small defects in the cornea can occur without the patient being aware of it. Do not overwear contact lenses. Remove them if the eyes become red or irritated. Replace contact lenses when scheduled to do so. Proteins and other things can deposit on the contacts, leading to an increased risk of infection. Rinse contact lens cases in hot water every night, if possible, and let them air dry. Replace contact lens cases every three months. Organisms have been cultured from contact lens cases.

How to treat Fusarium Keratitis

Clinically, it is often difficult to differentiate between fungal and bacterial infections. Confirmation may be obtained by your doctor through corneal culture, corneal tissue biopsy or confocal microscopy. Laboratory results take time to get back, so your doctor may place you on antibiotics pending results. Should fungal treatment be warranted, topical or oral anti-fungal agents may be used. In some cases, surgical intervention is necessary.

However the standard treatment of Fusarium fungal keratitis is frequent use of Natamycin 5% drops, often used every hour around the clock initially. A cycloplegic drop, e.g., scopolamine 0.25%, is also usually used to decrease the inflammation inside the eye. Occasionally, oral antifungal medications, e.g., itraconazole, fluconazole or voriconazole are also used. An urgent corneal transplant may be required in deep infections with impending or frank perforations.

Coin Jewelry History

Coin Jewelry can be divided into two major categories: whole coins and cut coins. This article will seek to give the origin of and details about both types.

Whole coin jewelry has most likely been around since coins were first invented. It is thought that Egyptians would decorate their soldiers with medals similar to coins of their day. And, as long as soldiers and civilians have been traveling, the coins of other nations have been a great souvenir to take back home. Travelers would have coins finished whole or with added engravings to be used as necklaces and rings.

The other type of coin jewelry is commonly referred to as cut coins. Coin cutting was probably first seen in the 1600's when men would pierce and cut coins to impress their lovers. Since that time cutting coins has become a serious form of craftsmanship that is currently producing some truly unique pieces of jewelry. When cutting coins, craftsman start with a whole coin and then pierce the coin with small holes. A very fine tooth jeweler's saw is then inserted into these holes and worked until the main figure of the coin is released. This allows the central figure of the coin to be featured and seen by itself. The coins can then be left in its base metal or covered in gold or silver or, often times, both. The two-tone finish allows the intricacies of both the coin and the craftsmanship to be shown. From here the coin can be taken to it final form as a pendant, earrings, tie tacks, money clips or rings.

Whether it is whole or cut, coin jewelry is becoming quite popular. Many people purchase them to be used as a beautiful accessory, as a show of national pride or as a collection item specifically fit to their hobby or interests. To be worn especially as an accessory, there are lovely butterfly, delicate flowers, and bold suns, all worn as pendants or earrings. One of the most popular pieces is a stunning coin from Barbados, the ten dollar coin with features Neptune with a trident in his hand. When people want to purchase something to show their national pride, the Irish and Polish coins are popular and, of course, any of the American coins, with the new state quarters being a unique way to show state pride. Finally, there are a huge number of coins for those with particular interests or hobbies. Whether it is cats or dogs, panda bears or any type of sport, there is a coin that will match most any interest. These are just a few of the vast number of coins that are available in cut coin jewelry.

So whether it is a whole coin or one designed by a craftsman with intricate, beautiful details, coin jewelry is a very unique and a true art form.

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Many factors influence this decision such as

* Lifestyle
* Health
* Astigmatism
* Corneal Curvature
* Allergies
* Dry Eyes
* Hygiene
* Previous Over-wear
* Frequency of Use


Seeing your Optometrist will help you determine the best type of contact lenses for your eyes.

Reading Glasses Are Still Glasses!

It is important to maintain good eye health by consulting an eye doctor when you need a change in prescription, or at least once every two years. The need for a new pair of reading glasses may be nothing more than the natural aging process at work, but it might also signal that there is a serious problem with your eyes that can be treated if caught in time. Glaucoma, for example, is a serious eye disease that has no symptoms at first but can steal your vision if it's not controlled with medication. A simple, standard test can detect it, but you'll need to visit your eye doctor in order to have the test.

What does "20/20" mean?

The top number in the Snellen fraction is always 20. It refers to the standardized visual acuity testing distance of 20 feet. The bottom number of the fraction describes the farthest distance from which a person with normal eyesight can recognize the smallest letters you can see when you are 20 feet from the chart.



Therefore, "20/20" means the smallest letters you can recognize at a distance of 20 feet are the same size as those a person with normal eyesight can see at the same distance. You have normal (20/20) eyesight.



But if you have 20/40 visual acuity, the smallest letters you can recognize at 20 feet a person with normal eyesight can recognize when they are 40 feet away. In other words, your visual acuity is only half as clear as that of a person with normal eyesight (20/40 = 50%).



The larger the bottom number to the Snellen fraction, the worse your eyesight is. For example, if you have 20/200 visual acuity, the smallest letters you can recognize at 20 feet a person with normal eyesight can recognize when they are 200 feet away. Your visual acuity is only 10 percent the level of normal eyesight (20/200 = 10%).



It's possible to have eyesight that is better than normal. In this case, the lower number in the Snellen fraction is less than 20. For example, if you have 20/15 visual acuity, the smallest letters you can see at 20 feet a person with normal eyesight cannot recognize at 20 feet - they must be closer (15 feet) to recognize them. Your eyesight is 33% better than normal (20/15 = 133%).



Near visual acuity is also described using a Snellen fraction. Although the near test distance is typically 16 inches, letters used on the near test card are appropriately sized to give similar relative measurements of eyesight as the distance Snellen fraction. Therefore, the top number in the Snellen fraction remains 20 for near vision testing, and the fraction is called a "Snellen equivalent."



Sometimes visual acuity is measured using a test distance of 6 meters instead of 20 feet. In these cases, the Snellen fraction "6/6" indicates normal eyesight (6/6 = 20/20), 6/12 is the same relative level of eyesight as 20/40, and so on.

Corneal Transplant

University of California eye researcher Dr. Bill Stell, chair of Vision Quest Conference, said "Research is progressing rapidly in the areas of gene therapy, stem cell research and encapsulated cell technology." He added, "Some types of blindness could be prevented and some vision could be restored to the blind within five, 10 or 15 years". In India Dr. Virendar Sangwan & Dr. Geeta Vemuganti has perfected corneal transplant using cornea created from adult stem cells.

Eye surgeon Virendar Sangwan has perfected a procedure so cutting-edge that most who have tried it have failed. In an operating theater in the central Indian city of Hyderabad, he surgically implants corneas grown in a petri dish from stem cells by his colleague Geeta Vemuganti in patients with damaged eyes. Together they perform about 80 corneal regeneration procedures a year, making the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute where they work one of the most prolific facilities in the world using stem cells to regenerate tissue of any kind.

Sangwan says he had a number of patients with burned eyes who could not be helped with standard corneal transplants from cadavers, so he persuaded Vemuganti to try growing corneas in her lab. "You know how to grow cells, and I know how to do the transplant surgery," Vemuganti recalls him saying. "Why don't we work together?" She smiles and shakes her head. "I had no clue if this was going to work."

Vemuganti's major innovation was developing a platform on which to grow the corneas. First she designed a circular glass tube about the size of a stack of coins. "I had the handyman here cut the glass for me," she says. Then she overlaid the glass with tissue from a human placenta, which is "a good surface to grow the corneas on," she says. After that she placed stem cells in four places around a circle, added a growth medium, and watched the corneas begin to grow.

Sickle Cell Disease Can Cause Sudden Painless Vision Loss

Sickle cell disease is the most common cause of sudden and painless vision loss in Nigeria. One such incidence is described below:

Mr. Kokumo was driving his car with his friend Tanko on the way to Lagos. Suddenly Mr. Kokumo shouts at his friend that he could not see anything on his right side. Even he was not able to see his friend sitting beside him. His friend Tanko could recall his school friend Bamidele who had similar experience during his school days. Bamidele was taken to the hospital where the doctor asked him to take patience as this is the only treatment of the problem. It can be added that both Bamidele and Kokumo have the same problem, Sickle Cell Disease. It can be added that vision in his right eye was restored within a month but it took more than six months for the left eye to regain some vision. This is the highest cause of sudden and painless vision loss in Nigeria. The disease can take vision loss even in the physically fit and fine person. A great similarity between both the people is that, none of them had suffered from any common sickle cell signs like bone pains.

This was the same case with the 70 year old man who experienced vision loss in the same way. A cocoa pod fell on his head while he was on his farm. On the third day after the incident, he lost his vision. And months after that he was taken to the hospital to identify that he was suffering from Sickle cell disease.

But for now, there is an answer to the problem. A surgical treatment called vitrectomy is able to remove the blood in the vitreous. So far, there had been no treatment for the disease. However the treatment is not established yet. The research is going on.

Eye Problems In Cats

The most common disorder in cats is runny eyes. Infectious organisms such as the flu viruses or chlamydia cause conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the membranes lining the eyelids. This results in a discharge which is either watery and runny or thick and a greenish yellow color.

Occasionally a runny eye is caused by a disorder of the normal anatomy.

Tear glands continually produce secretions which lubricate the surface of the eyeball and flush particulate material into the tear ducts which then drain into the nose. If there's a blockage of the ducts, the tears have no choice but to spill over and run down the face. Blockage can occur if there has been previous damage to the ducts or if the cat has an abnormal anatomy.

Persian cats frequently have tear staining, partly because their tear ducts are kinked and partly because their eyeball shape prevents effective drainage. Chronic tear overspill causes a brown staining on the fur which is most noticeable in pale colored cats.

Runny eyes are also a result of tear overproduction if there is an irritation to the sensitive eyeball. The cause may be easily identified as in some longhaired cats where a clump of hair rubs the surface. Some can be much more difficult to detect; solitary aberrant hairs may grow inside the eyelid and can only be discovered by carrying out an extremely thorough examination under general anaesthetic.

The cornea is the clear outer covering of the eyeball and is a very sensitive structure. Flu infections can sometimes extend beyond the membranes and also affect the corneas. In very young kittens, the damage can be so severe that the cornea is extensively scarred and the cat grows up visually impaired or even blind.

Most corneal disease is encountered as a result of a bit of a punch up with another cat and a claw being poked in the eye. The puncture wound may be very obvious, particularly if a bit of claw is left behind in the eyeball.

In other cases there may be no apparent defects.

Mild corneal damage will heal well if the cat is supported with antibiotics but more severe damage may require surgery. Stitching the eyelids together often helps with the healing.

The iris is the structure which gives the eye its color, ranging from pink in albinos, to blue in Siamese, through all shades of yellows, coppers and greens. The iris is a muscular structure which contracts and expands in order to vary the amount of light which passes through to the back of the eye.

It has very delicate blood vessels and if a claw has managed to pierce through the cornea to the iris, the bleeding can be very dramatic.

Some of the more unpleasant feline infections, Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) virus, Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and toxoplasmosis can all cause disease in the iris.

The first sign an owner may notice is a change in color of the eye.

Close examination reveals changes in the shape of the iris and the presence of debris in the fluid behind the cornea. It is very difficult to distinguish which one of these infections has caused the abnormality, so further investigation is always necessary.

If there is a diseased iris, also have to consider the possibility of a tumor. T he two most commonly encountered are lymphosarcoma, a solid form of leukemia, and melanoma, a cancer of the pigment producing cells.

If an iris has been affected by a treatable condition, it may be left with permanent color change and a distorted shape because of adhesions or scar tissue produced during the healing response. Not all areas of new pigment are associated with disease. Some cats, particularly orange colored individuals, can develop little dark patches of pigment in the iris as they age, but any change in eye color should always be checked by your vet.

Eyeglass Prescriptions Explained

So you just had your eye exam and before you leave you are handed a little card with a bunch of numbers. At some point you may have asked yourself 'I wonder what they mean?'. Here we will examine a sample prescription and discuss how refractive errors are measured.

Before we go any further we need to explain what a diopter is. In 1872 a french Ophthalmologist, Felix Monoyer, developed a new method of measuring the focal length of ophthalmic lenses called the diopter. One diopter equals a focal length of one meter. So a lens that is -4.00diopters has a focal length of 1/4 meter. The focal length of a lens is determined by this equation, 1/diopter = focal length. So now that weknow what form of measurement is used lets take a look at a sample prescription.

Eyeglass Lenses - Aspheric

The Aspheric lens design is an important tool in helping to provide better vision to all patients. Aspheric lenses are thinner, reduce lens weight and provide better off axis performance allowing increased visual acuity through a wider portion of the lens.

An aspheric lens is simply defined as a lens varying slightly from a perfect, spherical shape. Why is that important to an Optician when designing a lens? When designing a lens there are a few aberrations that an optician has to deal with to provide a lens that improves the sight of a patient. These aberrations include spherical Aberration, coma, radial astigmatism, curvature of field, and distortion. These five aberrations collectively are known as the Seidel Aberrations described by Ludwig Von Seidel in the 1850's. The aspheric lens is designed to correct a spherical aberration.

Two Quick Tips to Great Press Releases

Once you have gained attention with your eye-catching headline, topic summary, and talking points, it is time to present your full show idea. This is when to position yourself as an expert on the topic. Do not write a sales piece here. Write the show. Work the author's name, personal quotes, and book title into the overview. Use the following liberally to build your topic and profile: statistics, testimonials, current facts, specifics from relevant news stories, and professional credentials. Use anything that will interest the producer, the host, and their audience. Try to limit this section to no more than a page; the ideal range is four to six paragraphs with no more than four sentences in each one.

A Topic Overview for the show on pets discussed earlier read: For some people, "cute" is the only criterion they follow when choosing a new pet. But deciding which pet to adopt based solely on the animal's appearance can set new "pet parents" up for disaster. After all, puppies don't look quite so cute when they're chewing your furniture! Lack of foresight is one of the top reasons an estimated 6 to 8 million unwanted pets end up at local animal shelters each year. Enter pet expert Dr. Diane Pomerance, author of the new book Pet Parenthood: Adopting the Right Animal Companion for You.

As a bonafide animal lover, she wants to help prospective pet owners understand how to make the best decision when choosing a new pet â€" and to recognize that adopting a pet is a lifetime commitment and responsibility that requires much thought and planning.

"There's no denying the attraction to a cute puppy or kitten," says Dr. Pomerance. "But people need to be fully prepared for what's truly involved in caring for that animal. Realistically speaking, they are bringing a child into their home. If you don't have the temperament, the schedule, or the space requirements to meet those needs, you should consider a pet that does fit your lifestyle."

Another important factor that often goes overlooked is how children in a family will interact with a new pet. Pets make wonderful companions for children and can help teach them compassion, responsibility, and respect for all living creatures, as well as boost their self-esteem. But it's important to determine ahead of time what type of animal best suits the household and what role each family member will take in caring for it.

Money also comes into play when adopting a new pet. Vet bills can be expensive, and upkeep for some animals can be costly if they develop health problems.

"The reality is, pets can be expensive and time intensive. When you love your pet, obviously you want to provide the best care possible. So it is important to understand the costs and responsibilities ahead of time when choosing your pet."

2. Biography

Oddly, this is the element people tend to forget, underplay, or overplay. It is important to position the author as an expert. You can cite a variety of qualifications â€" education, career, relationships, memberships, travel history, odd pets, and more.

If the book is about religion, for example, anything the author does that pertains to religion is applicable.

Two warnings: Sensationalizing and author's credentials will immediately turn producers and hosts off; and simply rehashing a resume with bullet points is an absolute no-no.

If you take your time developing exactly what a book related interview segment will be about, and then put lots of thought into developing a press release that clearly reflects your planning, you will command more media attention.