Category Archives: eye Baths

Stye – Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

January 2, 2012

A sty or hordeolum is an infection of the sebaceous glands at the base of the eyelashes. It is a small boil or abscess caused by an infection of one of the tiny oil-producing glands located at the base of each eyelash. A person who develops one stye may have frequent recurrences. Patients who have multiple styes, or who have frequent recurrences of styes, should be seen by a general physician to rule out diabetes mellitus, which is recognized as predisposing individuals to multiple and recurrent infections of the eyelids. A stye can be secondary, caused by blepharitis. A blocked oil gland near the eye, a chalazion, is often mistaken for a stye. Styes are not harmful to vision, and they can occur at any age. A stye initially brings pain, redness, tenderness and swelling in the area, then a small pimple appears. sometimes just the immediate area is swollen; other times the entire eyelid swells.

Typically, a stye begins with a sensitivity to light, excessive flowing of tears, and the sensation of a foreign body in the eye. most styes will drain on their own though this may be accelerated with a hot or warm compress. Styes typically resolve within one week with treatment. Styes that appear on the eyelid are usually deeper, more painful and last longer than those appearing on the eyelash. Generally, the stye enlarges over several days as the infected follicle fills with pus; then it usually subsides within three to seven days. in the early stages, chalazia may be treated at home with the repeated use of warm compresses for 15 – 20 minutes followed by several minutes of light lid massage. this helps to reduce the swelling and makes the lid more comfortable. in some cases, the eye doctor may cut into the swollen area to promote drainage of pus.

Styes are generally caused by a staphylococcus aureus bacteria infection and are particularly common in infants, though people of any age may experience them. this bacterium is often found in the nose, and it’s easily transferred to the eye by rubbing first your nose, then your eye. A stye can be secondary, caused by blepharitis. A blocked oil gland near the eye, a chalazion, is often mistaken for a stye. Adults are affected more often than children. The condition may occur at an increased frequency within certain families and in children with Down’s syndrome.

A sty usually starts as a sensitive, red, swollen area on the edge of the eyelid at the base of an eyelash. An internal hordeolum has the same symptoms as a stye, but it grows deeper inside the eyelid.A chalazion grows more slowly, deeper inside the eyelid than a stye. Though it usually does not cause pain, a chalazion may last for several months. It may form a firm lump under the skin of the eyelid, and the inflammation and swelling may spread to the area surrounding the eye.

In the early stages, chalazia may be treated at home. most styes will drain on their own though this may be accelerated with a hot or warm compress. Styes typically resolve within one week with treatment. Chalazions may be treated with any one or a combination of antibiotic or steroid drops or injections; warm compresses for 5 to 10 minutes, 3 or 4 times a day; gentle massage to express the glandular secretions; or surgical drainage. Treatment for an internal hordeolum or chalazion is usually the same. however, if a chalazion becomes big enough that it interferes with vision, additional treatment may be needed.

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What Is Good For Watery Diarrhea? Let’s Get Some Help

November 23, 2011

Thinking back I have never forgotten how I would get scared to death if one of my young babies not yet two or three years old got watery diarrhea. they always attracted a fever. what is going on with the inside of my baby’s body? This watery diarrhea was getting worse by the minute. Whatever my wife or I gave one of them it didn’t matter. Our remedies were not relieving our children’s problems. Keeping the food in their bodies did not take place. it was one diaper after another. I felt so awful I often suffered like my wife did.

When my kids had watery diarrhea they looked so pale. they had a colorless face and a wasted appearance. Like there was nothing left inside them. This watery diarrhea knocked them for a loop. This watery diarrhea made me feel so helpless. hopefully you never went through this with your kids. But if you did you know how punishing this can be.

What is Acute Watery Diarrhea?

A greater number of stools or looser form of bowel movement is a symptom of watery diarrhea. This will last less than 2 weeks, and is frequently combined with abdominal issues such as cramping, bloating, and gas. although frequently gentle, acute watery diarrhea can be a pre cursor to dehydration as a result of large fluid and electrolyte losses. Often the person feels weak. Patients have often had to rest for hours when they have contacted watery diarrhea because they are just drained of energy.

Acute bloody watery diarrhea suggests a bacterial force like Campylobacter, Salmonella or Shigella. One way that this can happen is to visit underdeveloped locations of the world. Some of these places lack the technology to maintain a higher level of hygiene. Eating rotten foods such as ground beef or fresh fruit can cause diarrhea due to E.coli.

Watery diarrhea causes

Acute, watery diarrhea is usually caused by a bug (viral gastroenteritis.) Applications such as antibiotics and drugs that
specialize in magnesium products are also routine offenders. Sudden changes in your eating pattern can again contribute
to acute watery diarrhea. an intake of coffee, tea, colas, dietetic foods, gums or mints that contain poorly absorbable sugars can contribute to watery diarrhea.

Acute bloody watery diarrhea implies a bacterial consideration like Campylobacter, Salmonella or Shigella. Visiting to newly developed areas of the world can result in exposure to bacterial pathogens common in certain areas. Some of these areas lack the waste removal technology present in more developed countries. Eating unhealthy foods such as bad ground beef or unfresh fruit can cause watery diarrhea due to E.coli.

Do not rest your intestine during this time. This can cause dehydration. Drink plenty of liquids. Like water and herbal teas. there has not been a safe and effective drug to treat watery diarrhea. there have been herbal remedies that have worked.

Family Practices Notebook

American College of Gastroenterology

CS Mott Children’s Hospital

Feel free to pass this article on to anyone you think it would help

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LASIK Eye Surgery Benefits

October 19, 2011

Health experts report that a majority of the adults use one form of ‘vision correction’ or another. recently the options available to people who want to fix their visions are contact lenses and glasses. however, it can be quite inconvenient and also lime the quality of life and prevent him or her from the participation in many things which they might enjoy. The invention of LASIK Eye Surgery and its refinement has changed the whole concept. You can have many benefits by deriving this surgery.

The LASIK Eye surgery is said to take around 5-10 minutes for each eye making it quite convenient and easy. also the healing process is quite fast and patients tend to notice the effects immediately. It is also better than the contacts or glasses. Average vision after surgery is said to be 20/40 and in some cases to be 20/20. many eye conditions such as farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism are treated with this surgery. this also has an upper hand over the contacts and glasses and also does not require artificial enhancements for people to carry on their activities or careers which might be otherwise quite impossible for them.

LASIK Eye surgery ends some problems that are faced by contacts and glasses. Contacts are sometimes prone to the eye infections and can also become irritating due to smoke or dust. Glasses tend to become dirty quickly and also their lenses might become fade which would allow improper vision. They also tend to break which can be quite a problem when the person has no other alternative vision around. many of the sports like, swimming can become difficult with contacts and most sports become impossible with glasses.

The LASIK Eye surgery might seem a bit expensive in the initial stage, but over time it would prove to be very useful and valuable than the contacts and glasses which needs to be constant replaced due to misplace, breakage or damage. The saline solutions used in the contacts are also expensive and end up hundreds of dollars in course of time. If all the costs are added up on glasses and contacts, it would seem that LASIK Eye surgery is not that expensive as it would initially seem to be. there is very less risk associated with the LASIK Eye surgery and the side effects and you can reduce it by selecting a good health care professional.

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An Antidepressant, A Cure For Lazy Eye?

September 25, 2011

Amblyopia, or lazy eye is reduced vision in one eye as a result of a sustained period of visual neglect in childhood, resulting in neither eye glasses nor medical treatment improving the vision in that Amblyopic eye. During infancy, an infant’s neurological system is very flexible, and can easily adapt to changing environmental stimuli. as such, during these formative years our visual systems learn how to function. If during that time one eye does not get adequate visual stimuli it will not develop to the same level as the other eye.

As an individual gets older, the flexibility of the system decreases, and after the age of 7-10 years old, much less can be done to improve vision in an Amblyopic eye. The best treatments to date for improving vision in one of these patients has been patching the better eye, forcing the weaker eye to work harder. in doing do, vision improves in that eye. The younger the patient, the better the results can be obtained. in addition, Vision Therapy(VT) should be part of the therapeutic plan as it retrains the visual system to function correctly. VT has a very high rate of success when done properly.

The problem has long been that after a certain age, due to the lack of plasticity of the aging visual system, an Amblyopic eye was not able to regain adequate vision. New research appears to have changed Amblyopia treatment.

The antidepressant medication Prozac, has been shown with continuous administration to reinstate ocular dominance plasticity in adulthood. this can promote improved visual function in older individuals. in early childhood the neuronal connections are very plastic, but as the critical period closes, this flexibility is greatly reduced. According to research published in an issue of Science Magazine, treatment with Prozac reopens the critical period of plasticity in the visual cortex, and Lateral Geniculate Body parts of the brain. These studies were done in rats only. in order for this flexibility to be reopened, the good eye must still be patched for a minimum of several hours per day.

The researchers concluded that the restored plasticity with the use of Prozac was as a result of a reorganization of neuronal connections in the cortex. furthermore, maximum visual improvement was achieved when Vision Therapy was also administered. The only concern that the researchers revealed was what side affects would be with long term use of the drug. To date, known affects include but are not limited to suicide, severe anxiety, glaucoma, and visual filed defects. Future, long term research needs to be done to determine the risk/benefits of such treatment.

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LASIK Surgery

July 12, 2011

Lasik surgery is a very popular type of vision correction. It was introduced in the 1990s and has gained a staunch following. Since then, millions of people have had their vision corrected by lasik surgery. here is some information about lasik surgery.

There are several different types of vision problems that can be corrected by lasik surgery. Nearsightedness is caused by a cornea that is too steep. Lasik surgery helps to flatten this problem. far sighted individuals have a cornea that needs to be steeper. The other common eye problem that can be corrected using lasik surgery is astigmatism.

Lasik surgery works by using a laser tool to make a round incision in your cornea. this incision creates a flap. underneath the flap the doctor will do the necessary correction. The flap will then be replaced and reconnected. The entire procedure will only take approximately fifteen minutes per eye to complete.

Recovery time for lasik surgery is very short and relatively painless. It is an outpatient surgery, and you should be in and out of your doctor’s office in about an hour’s time. although you should not drive yourself home or operate a vehicle the day of the procedure, within a day or two, your vision should clear and you can resume normal activities. there should be only mild discomfort for a day or two. Most people report it feeling like there is a grain of sand or speck of dust in their eye.

Lasik surgery has a very good success rate. there are only a small percentage of patients whose vision is worsened. these people comprise less than one percent of all lasik surgeries performed. many people report dry eye or lights around the edge of their vision. these symptoms should fade over time.

There are four main types of lasik surgery. The first is the original type of laser eye surgery called PRK. this type of lasik surgery lifts the flap and scrapes off some of the offending cells. this is not as common now as other types.

The next lasik surgery is called E-LASIK or Lasek. this is a more delicate surgery and uses a finer blade. It is ideal for patients with mild to moderate short sightedness and who have corneas that are too delicate for traditional surgery. The third type of laser surgery is called Epi-LASIK. Epi-LASIK surgery is also for people whose corneas are too thin for regular lasik surgery. a flap is not cut in the cornea as with the others. instead a special instrument is used to get under the cornea so that the laser can do it’s work. The final type is the normal lasik surgery that is used primarily for patients who are very near or far sighted.

Not all people are good candidates for lasik surgery. Certain health conditions or medications that you are taking can disqualify you from lasik surgery. Contact a surgeon for a consultation. they can let you know whether lasik is a good option for your situation.

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Article Source: EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Then

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Common Eye Diseases – Glaucoma Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

July 1, 2011

Glaucoma is one of the most common eye diseases, striking 1 in 200 people below 50. It is much more common among the elderly – almost 10% of all people above 80 suffer from glaucoma. Glaucoma is a very dangerous disease as it can lead to loss of eye sight if left untreated. further, detection of this eye disease is quite difficult as the symptoms manifest themselves only in more advanced stages.

In glaucoma, the optic nerve gets damaged, typically due to increased pressure of aqueous humor, the fluid present in the eye. Damage to the optic nerve may be minor, but over time, it may lead to complete blindness.

Symptoms of Glaucoma

Glaucoma can be effectively classified into two types: Open-Angle, and Closed-Angle.

The former is more common, and also harder to detect. in ope-angle glaucoma, the patient suffers gradual loss of eyesight leading to complete blindness if left untreated. The field of vision gradually decreases and there are changes in the optic nerve. Because of the absence of perceptible changes in the early stages, it becomes difficult to detect. More than 90% of all glaucoma cases in the United States are open-angle, though this figure is much smaller in Asian and European countries.

Closed-angle glaucoma is rarer. its symptoms are also much more acute, and include pain in the eyes, seeing spots, halos or lights, extremely red eyes, and nausea. Vision loss may be very sudden and extremely painful. Closed-angle glaucoma needs to be treated immediately as it can very quickly lead to complete blindness. It affects less than 10% of people in the United States.

Causes of Glaucoma

The primary cause of this eye disease, as outlined above, is increase in the pressure on the ocular nerve from the fluid present in the eyes (aqueous humor). this increase in the pressure itself is influenced by genetics. for instance, East Asians are more likely to suffer from closed-angle glaucoma than open-angle, whereas those with an African descent are thrice as likely to suffer from open-angle glaucoma than their caucasian counterparts.

Other causes of glaucoma are diabetes, variations in blood pressure, hypertension, and trauma. this eye disease is also related to age and is much more prevalent among the elderly. this is because of genetics, as well as increased health issues among the elderly such as hypertension, diabetes, etc.

Cures of Glaucoma

There is no permanent cure for glaucoma as of now, and all the cures can only provide temporary relief. in early stages, glaucoma can be corrected by taking external medication such as eye drops. these eye drops help to reduce the pressure in the eyes.

In later stages, surgery may be effective in providing temporary relief. Surgery may be carried out through conventional methods, or through laser. in most cases, such operations don’t provide long lasting cures.

Glaucoma is a difficult disease to cure because of its genetic origins. however, one can prevent its occurrence by taking good care of the health, especially against diseases like diabetes and hypertension which have a role to play in this eye disease.

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