Eye On Your Health
A recent Medscape article on the psychosocial and cancer effects of the recent Gulf oil spill is available for your review.
Click here to view the article.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
Italian researchers in Modena successfully grafted stem cells from the patients own corneal limbal cells to restore their cornea and subsequent sight. The clinical results were successful for the 10 years of the studies life for over 75% of the patients. These patients had severely burned corneas that had failed current treatments.
Click here to read the reference article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
Approximately seventy percent of type 2 diabetics develop diabetic retinopathy, a very serious consequence of this disease. Nearly forty percent of diabetics display evidence of diabetic retinopathy when diagnosed with diabetes. For this reason, regular eye exams are crucial for early diagnosis and treatment, making it possible for prevention and the lessening of advancement of worsening of this condition.
Early stages called “nonproliferative” retinopathy is when small blood vessels in the retina develop small bulges and then leak. If not treated, this non-proliferative retinopathy, which causes no visual symptoms in most cases, can progress to proliferative retinopathy. When this occurs, newly formed blood vessels break and cause sudden vision impairment and sometimes loss of vision. Preservation of vision requires ardent vigilance. Treatment for diabetic retinopathy is dependent upon the type of diabetic retinopathy, its severity and how well a patient responds to specific treatments.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
Statins are a class of drug that lower cholesterol by blocking a substance your body needs to make cholesterol. Statins help your body reabsorb cholesterol that has built up in plaques on your artery walls. By preventing further blockage in your blood vessels this can lower your risk of a heart attack.
Statins include well-known medications such as Lipitor, Zocor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Crestor and others.
A recent Israeli study published in a medical journal was carried out on 180,291 new statin users in a large health organization to evaluate the preventative effect of statins against cataract between 1998 and 2007.
Patients who used statins had a significantly reduced risk of cataract in both men and women aged 45 to 74.
It was determined that persistent statin use was significantly protective for the incidence of cataract in men and women under 75 years of age.
With the recent approval of a certain statin gaining approval from the FDA for its protective effects on high risk patients we may find even more benefits for this class of medication. It should be noted that keeping your cholesterol levels low to begin with may serve the same purpose, that remains to be seen though.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
Approximately seventy percent of type 2 diabetics develop diabetic retinopathy, a very serious consequence of this disease. Nearly forty percent of diabetics display evidence of diabetic retinopathy when diagnosed with diabetes. For this reason, regular eye exams are crucial for early diagnosis and treatment, making it possible for prevention and the lessening of advancement of worsening of this condition. Preventing worsening and development of this condition can be achieved by treatment when caught in its early stages. This is called “non-proliverative” retinopathy, when small blood vessels in the retina develop small bulges and then leakage. If not treated, this non-proliverative retinopathy, which causes no visual symptoms in most cases, can progress to proliferative retinopathy. When this occurs, newly formed blood vessels break and cause sudden vision impairment and sometimes loss of vision. Preservation of vision requires ardent vigilance.
Treatment for diabetic retinopathy is dependent upon the type of diabetic retinopathy, its severity and how well a patient responds to specific treatments. Because vision is such a gift, we encourage regular eye examinations.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
In a recent medical study published in the February issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, it was found that people who consumed 2 or more soft drinks per week had an 87% increased risk for pancreatic cancer. Other variables, such as smoking, caloric intake and diabetes did not play a role in the development of pancreatic cancer in these individuals.
The theory is that the high levels of sugar can increase levels of insulin in the body and may contribute to significant overactivity of the pancreas.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
If your eyes are so sensitive to light that you have to squint and/or you experience headaches, you may be suffering from photophobia. While this sensitivity to light is not a disease, it is a symptom of a variety of conditions. For instance, common causes of photophobia include corneal abrasion (scratching of the eye’s outer layer), uveitis (inflammation of the eye’s middle layer, including the iris), and nervous system disorders such as meningitis.
Sensitivity to light may also be symptomatic of a detached retina, sunburn, and rare diseases such as the genetic disorder keratosis follicularis spinulosa decalvans (KJFSD). It is always a good idea to discuss light sensitivity with the ophthalmologist in order to identify and treat the underlying cause.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
The same type 1 herpes simplex virus that gives rise to common “cold sores’’ of the lips and mouth can also be responsible for eye herpes, or ocular herpes. In fact, this form of herpes, which is often referred to as a cold sore on the eye, is responsible for about 50,000 new and recurring cases annually, according to the National Eye Institute. Capable of causing inflammation and scarring of the cornea, ocular herpes is usually spread via contact with a person who has an active case of herpes. Symptoms include swelling around the eyes, tearing, the sensation of a foreign body in the eyes, eye sores, watery discharge, and clouding of the cornea that can lead to blurred vision.
Tearing, eye redness, blurry vision, and ocular discomfort are the most common presenting signs and symptoms. Fortunately, we now have several effective approaches for treating all forms of this disease.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
Individuals of African heritage are at greater risk for glaucoma. In fact, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among
African-Americans, with a prevalence rate of close to 5% of the population. Thus, it should come as welcome news that researchers have recently identified the gene variants on chromosome 2 that are associated with the vision-robbing disease.
Now that the gene variants that contribute to the development of glaucoma in African- Americans have been isolated, researchers may have a clearer path toward developing earlier diagnoses and new treatments. In the meantime, it is important to be examined regularly for this, and other, eye diseases. While there is no cure or way to reverse glaucoma-related vision loss, the disease can be managed. Left untreated, glaucoma causes the gradual and irreversible loss of peripheral vision.
Prescribing medical treatment for glaucoma requires a complex decision making process that involves the patient, the severity of the disease, the therapeutic options available, and their potential side effects. Don’t let glaucoma steal your eyesight. Annual testing is the only sure path to early detection.
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
Eye On Your Health
If legislation passes, in July pharmaceutical companies have agreed to pay 50% of the cost of brand name drugs when patients are in their insurance doughnut hole. Unfortunately, current price increases in drugs may reduce the value of that deal.
Flomax® went up by 19%, Ambien® by 18%, Aricept® by 17% ad Seroquel® by 16%. Is it possible that the industry may be artificially raising prices in expectations of new reforms?
Neil F. Notaroberto, M.D.
EyeCare 20/20
Slidell – Mandeville – Harahan
www.eyecare2020.org
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