Archive for the ‘Cardiac Health’ Category
Smoke gets in your eyes… Way, way in!
12.13.2011
Add losing vision to the list of reasons why you need to stop smoking. And make it this year’s New Year’s Resolution.
Heart disease, emphysema, bronchitis, cancer, stroke, wrinkled skin…every year the effects of getting just a wee bit less oxygen and a teeny bit of poisonous carbon dioxide in the bloodstream take their toll by inducing body damage through oxidative stress.
I’ve heard all the excuses…
“It gives me something to do.”
“I need to smoke at the end of a meal.”
“I’ve been doing it so long, I can’t stop.”
“It relaxes me.”
“Uncle Charlie smoked and he lived to 99 years old!”
“Well, something’s gotta kill you. I might as well enjoy myself.”
But here’s what your non-smoking friends and family are saying, often behind your back…
“I hate that you stink of cigarette smoke.”
“I hate that you’re always coughing.”
“I hate that I have to breathe in your smoke.”
“I hate the filthy ashtrays.”
“Your voice always sounds hoarse.”
“Even your ear lobes are getting wrinkled.”
“I love you, and I’m going to miss you.”
Still not convinced?
Well how about the fact that smoking has now been shown to dramatically increase the risk of advanced Macular Degeneration, a blinding eye disease?
This week, the esteemed professional journal, Archives of Ophthalmology, published the study. Check it out.
Then promise me you’ll try to get un-hooked off cigarettes in 2012!*
If you can’t get off them, make sure that you are taking the VisiVite formulas specifically developed for smokers that do not contain beta-carotene.
–
Paul Krawitz, M.D., President and C.E.O.
VisiVite.Com
Controversial Study Result: An aspirin a day linked to wet macular degeneration
11.20.2011
A recent European study reveals that seniors who are on a daily aspirin regimen are twice as likely to develop wet macular degeneration compared to people who never take aspirin. Researchers emphasize that the data doesn’t show that vision loss is caused by aspirin but that it does cause concern that aspirin might aggravate the eye disorder.
Researchers collected personal information about health and lifestyle from almost 4,700 people over the age of 65. What they found is that almost four of every 100 daily aspirin users had wet macular degeneration. Only two out of every 100 people who took aspirin less frequently had wet macular degeneration.
Larger studies that follow people over a period of time and document their aspirin use and vision will help to determine the role that aspirin plays in macular degeneration. Meanwhile, researchers stress that it’s a good idea to caution people that aspirin might exacerbate macular degeneration, but that the benefits of taking the aspirin outweigh any risks to their vision.
In addition, the association may not be causal. People with high cholesterol and heart disease, which is associated with macular degeneration, are the very same people who have been instructed by their doctors to take aspirin.*
Aspirin may be detrimental to eye health, study shows
10.20.2011A daily intake of aspirin may cause senior adults to be at an increased risk of developing late stage macular degeneration compared to senior adults who never take aspirin according to a recent European study.
The study involved 4,700 participants who were over the age of 65 and analyzed data concerning their health and lifestyle. Researchers discovered that of 839 participants who took aspirin daily, 36 had wet macular degeneration which translates to around 4 of every 100 daily aspirin users. Comparatively, only about 2 of every 100 people who took aspirin on an infrequent basis had wet macular degeneration.
Researchers note that larger studies conducted over a longer period of time and which document aspirin intake will help to ascertain aspirin’s role in macular degeneration. Meanwhile, doctors should caution their patients who take aspirin on a daily basis about the possible link but emphasize the benefits of taking aspirin for cardiovascular health outweighs the potential risk to their vision.*
Elise Ervin
Staff Writer
Clarence Clemens, Saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen, Rumored to Suffer Stroke
06.17.2011Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Growing up in New Jersey, how could I not be? I have been listening to his music since the early 1980′s, seen him hundreds of times in concert and even been fortunate enough to meet him a time or two “out in the street.”
Bruce and his band have been such an important part of my 
entire life that they almost feel like family to me. I don’t think I have to tell anyone how completely devastated I was when rumors started flooding the Internet Sunday evening that one of Bruce’s own was critically ill due to the effects of a massive stroke. When I learned it was Bruce’s saxophone player, Clarence Clemons, my heart just sank.
“No, not the Big Man!” (a nickname Bruce affectionately gave him many years ago) I thought to myself. How could a stroke bring down this big teddy bear of a man, who plays the sax like no one I ever heard before. You can actually HEAR how much he loves to play in every note. Just ask Lady Gaga, who asked Clarence to play sax for her new hit song “The Edge of Glory”. They also appeared together on the American Idol finale a few weeks ago.
Strokes can be devastating, often leaving people completely paralyzed on an entire side of their body, but did you know that your eyes can also have a stroke?
Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO) is considered to be a “stroke” of the eye. This stroke is actually a blood clot, from the carotid artery (in the neck) or from the heart, breaking free and lodging itself in an artery in the retina. This blockage deprives the retina of nutrients and oxygen that are normally carried through the bloodstream. Eye strokes are usually sudden and painless and cause dramatic vision loss in one eye. Patients suffering from CRAO can often barely count fingers in front of their face or see light from the effected eye.
Certain medical conditions can make a person prone to these types of strokes. Patients who have a medical history of high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac valvular disease, and carotid artery disease are at particularly high risk. Annual ophthalmological exams, including an extensive retinal evaluation, should become routine for people having these risk factors.
Early detection is key, so if you or someone you know suffers from sudden, unexplained, severe loss of vision, call your ophthalmologist or your primary care physician immediately.
On a personal note to the Big Man: I will always wait for you, Clarence. Get well soon, my friend.
Mary Sweetman C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
This Blood In My Eye Is Making Me Look Like A Freak!
06.14.2011This was actually a status post that one of my friends posted on Facebook last week and ironically, also something that a co-worker in our ophthalmology office is dealing with.
Have you ever just all of a sudden noticed that your eye was blood red? Maybe you woke up with it like that one morning. Maybe someone brought it your attention, by subtly saying, “Ewwwww, why is your eye like THAT!?!?”
This redness in your eye is actually called a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage. These types of hemorrhages occur when one of the small blood vessels in your conjunctiva (the clear membrane that covers the sclera) breaks, causing the blood to leak between the conjunctiva and the sclera (the white part of your eye). The most common causes of this are coughing, sneezing or straining, but can also be caused by trauma to the eye, high blood pressure or diabetes. People who are on blood thinners such as Coumadin or Aspirin therapies could also be prone to these types of hemorrhages. Don’t worry, the blood is trapped under the conjunctiva on the outside of your eye and will not suddenly start to drip down your cheek, making you look like a character in the newest Twilight movie. Unfortunately, there is no miracle drop that will make it go away. Subconjunctival Hemorrhages usually clear up on their own, but be forewarned, this could take a few days or a couple of weeks, depending on it’s size.
These small hemorrages usually are not painful, nor do they cause blurrred vision, so if you think you have a subconjunctival hemorrage, but are experiencing pain or blurred vision, get in to see your eye doctor as soon as possible.
Although it is often alarming to look at, it is almost always harmless and will gradually go away with no treatment. Until then, put on some funky sunglasses to hide it. After all, summer is all about stylish sunglasses!
Mary Sweetman, C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
