Tuesday, 13 March 2012

March 14, 2012 Clippings


Eye care: 7 steps to 20/20 vision

We all feel the strain of sitting in front of the computer for eight to 12 hours at a stretch; the symptoms: Dry eyes, an itchy feeling that won't go away, constant headaches.

The good news is that you can avoid these signs by just following some simple tips from Dr. Satish Mehta, Ophthalmologist from Moolchand Eye Clinic in New Delhi.

Diet: For healthy eyes, one needs a sufficient quantity of Vitamin A, green leafy vegetables, fruits, milk, eggs, meat (especially liver). A balanced diet with a correct proportion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in combination of these food items will help in keeping eyes healthy.

Eye hygiene: Keeping eyes clean is important to ward off infections. The first thing you do every morning must be to clean the eyes in running tap water. You can make a cup of your hand and collect water in it, bend your neck and submerge your eyes one by one in the cup with lids open. Repeat it several times so that the discharge collected over night is washed off completely.

Eye care: Do not splash water on to eyes since it can result in an abrasion and the lids close as a reflex action without any cleansing being achieved. One should clean the eyes after coming back from outdoors as well as before going to bed. It is equally important to have good hand hygiene. Do not touch your eyes with dirty, greasy hands. Make sure you sanitize your hands at regular intervals.

Check up: Regular vision and eye pressure check ups must be done; this becomes even more important, if one suffers from any kind of
allergy or sight related problem. At the very least an annual check up would go a long way in keeping your eyes healthy and optimally functional.

Eye protection: Take a doctor's advice on how to protect your eyes from the sun and wind. Your sunglasses should have UV protection, colour and refraction correction.

Contact lens care: If you wear contact lenses, get the latest updates on new types of lenses, and switch to a more comfortable brand.

Reduce eye sight stress: There are some pointers to keep in mind to improve your sight: Sleep, take regular breaks at work, reduce the brightness of your computer monitor, and avoid fluorescent lightening.


14.03.2012

Health isn’t wealth for more than 60% women

Health isn’t wealth for a lot of women, a new survey has found out. Conducted by GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant, it has thrown up some shocking revelations about Indian women’s attitude towards their health.

More than 60% surveyed said wealth and comfort is their top priority. Health and protection from diseases ranked a dismal sixth on their list. This sort of apathy is particularly dangerous for a disease like cervical cancer, which is the number one cancer among Indian women, affecting 1.34 lakh every year.

Prevention of cervical cancer is only possible through regular check-ups in the form of pap-smear tests. Only 7% said they’re likely to attend a pap-smear appointment, as opposed to 35% who said they are likely to attend a meeting at work and 28% who said they would definitely attend a dinner with friends.

The results reflect what city doctors have been experiencing in their practices. Dr Duru Shah, director of Gynaecworld, says she sends her patients regular reminders of pap-smear appointments.

“Most doctors don’t even go that far. There are some who are regular, but most of my patients ignore the reminders and turn up very irregularly. And 50% of my patients never return for a pap smear,” she says.

This is partly because of lack of awareness among Indian women about cervical cancer. “Most don’t understand the importance of a regular pap-smear check-up. They think gynaecologists are only there for pregnancies. They don’t understand that even though they may be feeling fine, they might have an HPV infection, which, if left untreated, can evolve into cervical cancer,” says Shah.

Women in India are also conditioned, doctors say, to put the family’s welfare before their own. “In our society, women are supposed to look after their husbands and children. Most women put their own health below their loved ones’. They’re either busy with their work or their families and have no time to look after themselves,” she adds.

Dr Rishma Dhillon-Pai, consultant gynaecologist at Lilavati and Jaslok hospitals, believes that there is no concept of regular health check-ups in the country.


14.03.2012

















Wherever your challenges lead you, there is something to learn

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