What Is Allergic Conjunctivitis? What Causes Allergic Conjunctivitis?
Most people get allergic conjunctivitis when their eyes come into contact with an allergen - a substance which makes the body"s immune system overreact. The eye becomes sore, inflamed and sometimes painful. Symptoms occur because the overreacting immune system makes the body release histamine and other active substances by mast cells - these cause dilation of blood vessels (blood vessels expand, widen), which irritates the nerve endings and causes increased secretion of tears.
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What Is AMD? What Is Macular Degeneration?
prevent it altogether. *Omega-3 fatty acids - A meta-analysis published in the June issue of Archives of Ophthalmology found that consumption of foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish and flax, is linked to a reduction in the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) *Stem-cell therapy - Scientists are looking into using human stem cells to enable the retina to repair itself. *Robo4 - A study showed that damage was prevented and even reversed when the protein, Robo4, was activated in mice models that simulate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy. *Implantable telescope - A report indicated that a two-year Phase II/III IMT002 trial showed substantial visual acuity improvement in End-Stage AMD patients. Complications Many people find it difficult to come to terms with partial blindness. What used to be everyday straightforward tasks, such as reading, become frustratingly difficult. Anybody who feels frustrated and emotionally affected by losing some of their eyesight should talk about their feelings with their doctor. If AMD is affecting your daily life, your doctor may be able to refer you to people who can make it easier for you to cope more effectively. In most countries anybody who is diagnosed with AMD should inform their driving license issuing authorities, as well as their insurance company. Having your central vision affected might affect your driving skills. A study revealed that people with AMD have a much higher risk of heart attack and stroke. Charles Bonnet syndrome (visual hallucinations) affect about 12% of people with AMD in the UK. The brain may compensate for visual data it is not receiving by creating fantasy images, often images from memory. Some patients do not tell their doctors about this because they are worried they may have some kind of mental illness. It is important to know that these hallucinations do not reflect the patient"s mental state; they are part of the patient"s vision problems. Written by Christian Nordqvist Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News TodayPages: 1 [2]