================================================================= V I S I O N U P D A T E ================================================================= 13 Sep 2004 Issue #36 Promoting Health Through Knowledge Ted Roxan, Editor editor@visionupdate.net ================================================================= IN THIS ISSUE... 1. Feature Article Lens Implant For Nearsighted Approved 2. Ask the Doctor Talking with the experts 3. News Briefs SEE THE LIGHT 4. Relevant Links Important resources. 5. Preventative Medicine When My Eyelids Twitch ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Feature Article Lens Implant For Nearsighted Approved (AP) An implantable lens to correct the vision of nearsighted people won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday, September 13 2004. The lens is permanently implanted in the eye and can offer an alternative to glasses, contact lenses and laser surgery. The approval covers the Artisan lens made by Ophtec USA Inc. Its president Rich McCarley said the product could be available to surgeons in two weeks. He said the price has not been determined. Unlike the implanted lenses that replace the eye's normal lens to correct cataracts, this lens is implanted in front of the natural lens. FDA said it is intended to reduce or eliminate nearsightedness in adults with healthy eyes. It should not be used in people who have more than minor astigmatism, the agency said. The agency is requiring the company to do a follow-up five-year study of users of the lens to determine any side effects. One possible concern, the FDA said, is the loss of endothelial cells in the corneas of patients who received the implants. These cells form a layer on the undersurface of the cornea and are essential to keeping the cornea clear. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ASK THE DOCTOR SPONSOR Enjoy total health. Learn how to target body, soul, and spirit from the Christian perspective. Imagine your dreams for longevity and vitality coming true. Discover why you need to start your own home business today. Make friends with Dianne Wandruff, one of the most helpful and beneficial people you`ll ever meet. http://www.getswap.com/subscribe.asp?list=1-273 ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Ask the Doctor Talking with the experts Question from : kaycee jeffs Why would a doctor not replace a shattered lens during a surgeory due to a puncture all the way through the eye from a screwdriver? also, a sclera buckle was put into the eye...Is that normal procedure? Dr. Webber: The scleral buckle was put in the eye because you have a retinal detachment. The lens would only be replaced if it was damaged or had a cataract due to the trauma. Question from : Helen McLean My doctor tells me I have something that sounds like ter-idge-ium on my eye.an you explain it and tell me if it is serious? Dr. Webber: Pterygium are tissue growths onto the cornea from the white part of the eye. As lonf as they are not to big and don't get close to the pupil, they are ok. If they do, then they need to be surgically removed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. News Briefs SEE THE LIGHT In people with age related macular degeneration, the retina loses its ability to convert light into the chemical signals that the brain recognizes as sight. But now Stanford doctors have developed a microchip that, when exposed to light, can release small amounts of these chemicals. Eventually, the chips will be implanted in diseased eyes to monitor chemical levels and release more as needed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter Courtesy of VisionUpdate http://visionupdate.net ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Relevant Links Important resources. National Eye Institute http://www.nei.nih.gov Eye Net http://myeyenet.com/ Blind Foundation http://www.afb.org Macular Degeneration Foundation http://www.eyesight.org LASIK Institute http://www.lasikinstitute.org NIH http://www.nih.gov ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. Preventative Medicine When My Eyelids Twitch The most common causes of mild eyelid spasms are fatigue and stress, says R. Michael Siatkowski, MD., a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oklahoma. Try shutting your eyes for 5 minutes. (If you're able to swing it, an actual catnap-no more than 20 minutes-would help.) Then, tonight, hit the sack early. If that doesn't clear, it up, you might be facing an allergy or infection. Your doctor can help with those. More severe twitches can mean more severe conditions, such as a hemifacial spasm, an irritation of the seventh cranial nerve, says Dr. Siatkowski. If both lids have issues, it could be blepharospasms, a neurological problem that can be so bad it'll leave you struggling to read or drive. Both problems are treatable with Botox-and are rare. RESEARCH BY MATT BEAN. KATE DAILEY, ERIN HOBDAY, DAVID SCHIPPER, DARREN WENDROF ----------------------------------------------------------------- CLASSIFIED AD - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - P O P Q U I Z Want to turbo-charge your day with A Daily Dose of Happiness: Powerful. Motivating. Practical. Inspiring. 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