Health Blog

Saturday 13 April 2013

About heel spurs


A Heel spur is a calcium growth on the heel bone, which tends to develop due to the overload of the bottom of the foot resulting in a tear of the plantar fascia. Heel spurs may also be accompanied by pain.

Heel spurs occur mainly in people who play sports that involve running or jumping. The damage is commonly seen in those over 40.
 Having shoes with poor support and shock absorption is linked to the onset of heel spurs.


Causes of heel spurs

The calf muscle is attached to the back of the heel bone through the achilles tendon. Under the foot stretching across the plantar fascia is between the underside of heel bone and toes. When the foot is under constant pressure or heavy load a tear of the arch or plantar fascia may occur, this is called plantar fasciitis.

Repeated strong impacts and shocks as well as overload, hyperextension, and inflammation of the heel bone and arch of the foot are the most common causes of heel spurs . The heel spur (made out of calcium) is formed by the body as a way to protect the damaged tissues whilst your body plantar fascia and foot repairs itself.

Heel spurs means that there has been an injury and the body is now protecting the damaged tissues and plantar fascia. It is the result of the injury and not its cause, as many might otherwise think.

Who is at particular risk

Overweight people, due to the increased load the heel exposed.
Older, because the shock absorbing fat cushion shrinks with age.
People with stiff heels, which will result in increased drag on heel bone. This results in an increased load on the foot's plantar fascia., as this provides more easily damaged.
Individuals with over prognation
Running in shoes with poor shock absorption.
Sudden change of foot's load, e.g. by sharp gain by running the distance.

Symptoms of heel spurs

Pain during or on the inside of the heel.
The pain is most pronounced at the beginning of the transition or the race. The customer, when the foot is hot, but returns later on during or after the transition or the race.
There are typical stiffness in the heel in the morning, which often leads to lags for short duration's  It disappears when the foot is first warmed up.

What you can do about heelspurs?

It is best to prevent the condition or to treat it early. This can be achieved by complying with some simple precautions:

Warm up properly before running.
Use shoes with good shock absorption.
Use shoe which suits you and supports well on the heel.
Switch running shoes out at appropriate intervals.
Get posts shoes and insoles that suit one's feet, just as there is a big difference between the support the foot must have, if you have  underpronation.
Increase the running distance running pace or gradually.
Avoid being overweight.
Get some orthotic insoles or running insoles that provide arch support.

Read more about heel spurs

Eye problems and information

What is cataracts?


When you have cataracts the eye's lens will blur, and it is a frequent cause of vision impairment in older people. Ordinary age-related cataracts can be regarded as the body's natural aging.

Who gets cataracts?


You can get cataracts in all ages, but it occurs far more often in the older section of the population. The risk of getting cataracts increases Furthermore by smoking. At the same time, seen the disorder often associated with various diseases and treatments. For example, in connection with diabetes, with other eye diseases such as inflammation and serious eye injury and after prolonged treatment with corticosteroids. Cataracts can also be congenital, and besides, there are a large number of rare causes.

What are the symptoms?


By light cases of cataracts, there are no symptoms, but when the disorder takes to, will be the sight blurred. The ambiguities in the lens light up in bright sunlight, and therefore many also dazzled. In severe case gives cataracts impaired vision, and with many changes the perception of colors. Several of the symptoms, however, also be seen by other eye diseases.

How do you treat cataracts/cataract?

Cataract is treated by an operation in which the natural lens is removed and replaced by a plastic lens. Cataracts must first undergo surgery when it is necessary, because, just as with all other operations, the risk of complications. Treatment must be considered when the sight causes one problems on a daily basis.


AGE-RELATED MAKULAR DEGENERATION (AMD)


What is AMD?


AMD is what used to be called eye calcification, and today it is the most common cause of blindness in the Western Europe and United States reading. There is no question of calcified blood vessels, which, for example, be seen in the legs and heart, but a disease of retina also called ' the yellow stain '. Retina is responsible for, among other things, that we can see three dimensional and perceive fine details and colors. The disease develop in both eyes, but there is often a difference in degree, respectively, in the right and left eye. There are two different forms of AMD – the dry and the wet. By the dry form shrinks sensory cells in the retina, and it covers about 85 percent of cases. In the wet form formation of new blood vessels in the retina, and the typically come with people who are already suffering from the dry form.

Who gets AMD?


AMD seen from 55-years of age, and then increases the frequency. About 12 percent of the population aged over 60 years in Western Europe and the United States have symptomatic AMD, but since genes at the beginning may be modest, there are also people who go around with an undetected disease. Heredity may play a role, and in addition, for example, poor diet, tobacco and type 2 diabetes contribute to AMD.

What are the symptoms?


By the dry AMD is rarely symptoms in the early stages, some experience, however, that they see a dark spot in a few minutes after they wake up.  You can also often find that it is difficult to recognize people on the street, since the face disappears, because it falls into one of the blind areas of retina.
AMD can cause a hemorrhage, which causes symptoms like strong visual degradation and distortion of Visual image. Wet AMD and its symptoms can occur without prior symptoms, but typically you will experience the dry forms symptoms beforehand, as it typically is a further development of this. The symptoms of wet AMD are usually worse than the symptoms of the dry form.

How do you treat AMD?


One can not yet heal dry AMD, but you can treat with dietary supplements. AMD can be slowed down in several ways. So-called cold laser treatments can stop the negative development in some patients. Another option that looks very promising, injections into the eyeball. Here apply to some substances, which stops the formation of new blood vessels. This treatment can, in some cases, restore some of the lost vision, but may also cause some side effects. In addition, there is the option of help through various optical devices.


GLAUCOMA (GLAUCOMA)


Glaucoma refers to a number of diseases that can occur if the eye's optic nerve becomes damaged. If this happens, the eye's field of vision can be affected and in worst cases limited to the so called binocular vision. Glaucoma causes only extremely rarely blindness.

Why does glaucoma occur?


Glaucoma occurs when there is nowhere the fluid the eye produces can go. If the drain where the fluid should go completely or partially blocks, the fluid then builds pressure inside the eye, and it can damage the optic nerve.

Eye pressure is maintained at a constant flow of aqueous humor, which supplies the eye's lens and cornea with nutrients and leaving the eye through the eye's drain. The problem arises when Chamber fluid has a hard time getting through the drain, and the production and flow of fluid at the same time remains unchanged. It creates an imbalance that causes fluid pressure to rise. An acute high blood pressure can lead to immediate vision loss, while a gradually elevated pressure is unhealthy for the optic nerve, there will eventually be weakened.

Who gets glaucoma?


The disease manifests itself typically not before one is on the other side of 60. In rare cases the disease can be congenital, but happens rarely before 35 years of age.

Glaucoma can be hereditary. Therefore, the risk of getting the disease 10% larger, if you have a close relative who suffers from glaucoma. The main risk factor is, however, fluid pressure in the eye. The higher fluid pressure, the higher the risk.

Types of glaucoma


The two most common forms of glaucoma are open-angle glaucoma and narrow-angle glaucoma.

Narrow-angle glaucoma

Narrow-angle glaucoma can occur suddenly and are often painful with genes such as headache and possibly nausea and vomit. The sight becomes blurred, and we see Rainbow-coloured rings, when looking at a light source.

This occurs because the eye pressure rises dramatically due to an internal blockage of the eye's internal fluid drain and can result in optic nerve wither within a few days. Narrow-angle glaucoma is a rare disease that must be treated by an eye doctor right away. The disease is also called acute glaucoma, because pressure increases so suddenly, and because the illness requires emergency treatment.

Symptoms of "acute" narrow-angle glaucoma:


  • Rings around lights when it is dark or in low light.
  • Blurred vision at night.
  • Headache and pain around eye in connection with the above.
  • Symptoms occur most commonly in people over 60 years of age with hyperopia.


Danger Signals:


  • Blurred vision with EVS. darkening of the eye.
  • Red eye may be damaged. with great pupil.
  • Headache pain and tightness in the eye.
  • Malaise, nausea and possibly. vomiting.
  • You will experience these symptoms, you should immediately seek medical/emergency room/eye doctor, as there may be lasting vision damage.



Open-angle glaucoma

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma. It is also called chronic glaucoma, because it develops slowly over a number of years.

Patients with the disease might not detect that they have vision loss, before symptoms are so pronounced for example the central vision affect in so great a degree, that they can't watch tv or read the newspaper. Late in the process, the patient may experience a binocular vision, which gives a very narrow field of vision with great genes.

Symptoms of "chronic" open-angle glaucoma:

Glaucoma in the family (father, mother or sibling), family members over 35 years should have their eyes examined.
People around the 45 and up should, in any case, once controlled by the ophthalmologist.
If you are experiencing shadows in the field of view when comparing his eyes, one should consult an ophthalmologist.

How do you treat glaucoma?


Regardless of the type of glaucoma that is talking about, the treatment will seek to lower pressure in the eye.

Medical treatment

In most cases one will treat glaucoma medical with eye drops, which lowers the pressure. Depending on the course can be treated with one or more types of eye drops to be used one or more times a day. In rare cases, the treatment is complemented with tablets and by acute glaucoma medication that drunk or injected into a vein.

Laser Treatment

Laser treatment can be done in two ways.
At Strait wrapped glaucoma, you can shoot a hole in Rainbow cornea (iris) with a special type of laser radiation and thus in many cases cure the patient for future bouts of acute glaucoma.

By the more common open angled form of Glaucoma can in some cases reduce the pressure by influencing Chamber angle with laser beams. The treatment is often used as a complement to the medical treatment but can rarely replace it.

Operation

If the two mentioned methods of treatment can't keep eye pressure sufficiently low, one can perform a surgical procedure, which creates a new drain from the eye's interior. This allows Chamber water run out from under the conjunctiva.





REMEMBER SUNGLASSES


Every time you're outside, you are not only exposing your skin but also your eyes to the Sun's harmful UV rays. UV radiation is invisible, but can be found everywhere. Water, snow, sand and concrete all reflect the sunlight, which means that you are not necessarily protected under a parasol. 90% of UV light penetrates also through light cloud cover. Only rain, fog and low clouds reduces the exposure to UV-radiation significantly.

It is clinically proven that overexposure to UV radiation can damage the eyelids, the cornea and lens of the eye. And a new EU-funded research project has just shown that UV radiation in Scandinavia is on par with Sicily in Italy in the spring.

That is why it is important to protect your eyes with sunglasses that block 100% against the Sun's UV rays when you stay outside, regardless of season.


Tell to your friends and family about this page. There is a great need for information on the harmful effects, UV radiation can cause on the eyes, if you are not careful.

A new study by YouGov, has created the Foundation of analysis for Uk's Optician Association shows that every other Dane is not aware that UV rays can lead to serious eye diseases.

Almost half of Brits (45 percent) responded that they do not know that they can incur the eyes damage without UV protection. And it is not because we are generally unaware of the UV radiation.

The study shows that 95 percent of brit's are very well aware of the damage that UV radiation can cause skin. But when it comes to how damaging even the same sunlight is our eyes, trust blindly that the eyes have superpowers.

Protect yourself and your loved ones by spreading the word.

THE EYE THROUGH THE YEARS



As we get older, our vision, we will need more light to be able to view quite sharply, and we are typically not able to focus just as well, as when we were younger.

In order to keep a good vision and healthy eyes, it is important to be aware of any changes in vision and go for regular checks at the optician or eye doctor.

How our eyes with change with time



We depend on our eyes throughout life. At every stage of our life we experience new adventures, all of which are enhanced by our vision. The first major change occurs as the infant, and with age changed completely our eyes sight, because our ability to focus slowly deteriorates because the eye's lens becomes less flexible. It is important that you are aware of changes in vision, and even proactively get his eyes examined, in order to maintain good vision and healthy eyes.

Infants


A baby is born with the eye structures is necessary in order to be able to view, but for it to succeed, the baby first learn how these should work together. The ability to focus and view colors typically occurs at the age of four to five months, and around the four to six months the baby will learn eye-hand coordination. Over the next six months the baby develops, among other things, the ability to judge depth, and within the first two years of life develops baby properties as an example Visual memory.

Children


The eye continues to evolve through childhood, and you should be aware of your child's vision. good vision is essential for how your child is doing in the classroom, on the playground, to sport and when doing homework at home.

Children usually do not complain of vision problems, since they think they see what everyone else sees. it is therefore important that you as parents are aware of whether your child goes around with an undetected vision problem.

It is a good idea to let your child go through a Visual check with a qualified health care professional before it starts in school, or as soon as you suspect that there may be something wrong with the sight. The sooner a vision problem is detected, the sooner the child will be able to get help.

Has your child a good vision?

Teens

The sight is stabilized during the teenage years, typically as the sight and the eyes are fully developed. Nevertheless, it is important to have regular eye examinations in order to be able to detect any hidden vision problems or defects. It is also important to be aware of eye safety with teenage children, as many are beginning to cultivate the sport, and the use of contact lenses will be popular.

Adults

As we become older, impaired our ability to focus on an object at close range, it can for example be the newspaper. This inevitable condition is called oldman's vision (presbyopia) and typically affects people in their 40s. Symptoms of old man's vision often starts with reading difficulty and trouble seeing the letters on the computer screen.

Causes of old man's vision

When the eye must see something up close, such as a book or a newspaper, it is necessary to focus in order to be able to see sharply. This focus is called accommodation and get the eye's lens to curvy in order to adapt to the distance. When you are halfway through life loses eye lenses and ring muscle their elasticity. This means that the eye no longer can automatically adapt to different distances and the ability to focus disappears gradually.

Old man's vision affects virtually all at some point in life. It is not dangerous and can often be corrected with a spectacle such as a reading glasses.

Older

Older people should get the sight checked regularly and be aware of potential vision problems in order to be able to detect and treat a vision disorder before a possible vision loss occurs.






About Eyesight


A good eyesight requires two functioning eyes that are able to focus on the same object at the same time, irrespective of gaze direction, from two different angles. On the way, we are able to melt the pictures from our two eyes together into a single image, which means that we can view 3-dimensional.
Please also read the information brochure "3D-are you experiencing the world in three dimensions"
Not congenital
The ability to see is not congenital. It is only the Foundation, which is present at birth. Eyesight created within the first two years of life and skills developed during the first 8-10 years of life. People who have never developed eyesight, experience usually has no problems with it in everyday life.


What is eyesightt for?
We use sight to orient us and judge the distance in relation to other objects-for example, in traffic, when we must assess whether the distance to the oncoming car is large enough so that we can carry out an overtaking or when we are going to throw, grab or hit a ball.

Sight and learning
Many school children walking around with undetected vision problems, including problems with samsynet. For example, many will find that the text is flowing along by reading, because they are seeing double. Often children do not even know that there is something wrong, because the sight is not something they can compare with others.

Reduced Visual function in children can have a major impact both inside and outside the classroom, when the sight is the child's main tool for learning.


Lazy eye
Seeing double can be very annoying. The brain will therefore try to counteract this by either to opt to use one eye so that it will be "lazy" or by giving up to let your eyes go hand in hand. It is paying little attention when one's two eyes are not looking in the same direction. You can squint constantly or occasionally – typically when one is tired.

Typical symptoms of vision errors

Can you recognize one or more of the following symptoms, can it possibly caused by problems with your sight:

Fatigue, especially after reading

The concentration and focus

Blurred vision and tend to view double

Frontal headache late in the afternoon or after reading

Reading difficulty because the text flowing along

problems with to divert father cards for long distance and vice versa

Can sight problems be treated?

sight problems can in some cases be remedied using an eyeglass correction or Visual training. What forms of treatment that are relevant, of course, depends on what one fails.

sight problems are due to a loss of vision in one or both eyes, Visual training will typically be able to help. It is not possible to bring sight back, but in the course of a year's time the brain will have set himself on the new relationship, and problems with e.g. the distance judge will be improved.

sight test-what needs to be examined?
The purpose of the test is to determine whether the test person's sight is within normal limits.
It is in the border area or outside-since that map the internal consistency. Then, to determine the optimal means or alternatives if there are options.
A sight test is therefore not the same each time, but must adapt to test the person's needs.

But as a minimum, the test include:

Thorough mapping of the symptom profile, previously used devices and health.

Analysis of depth perception and motor skills

Determination of the optimal strength and evaluation of focusing its eyeglass quality.Assessment of load capacity and agility in free space.



After the test a knowledgeable professional can give you a good coherent explanation for an action plan.

Visual acuity, and definitions


Vision is the ability to see and distinguish between details. It is not the same as Visual acuity. Visual acuity refers to the strength of glasses or contact lenses and is measured in diopters.

You can also read about the peripheral and central vision

Eyesight is the Visual resolution, as it says on the LSP. Eyesight measured on an eye chart, which consists of the letters, there will be smaller, the farther down on the Board you look.

The measurement determines the smallest angle that can separate the two points. Commonly referred to eyesight in connection with fractional numbers or as decimal fractions.


Visual acuity, and definitions

With healthy eyes, you can see the smallest letters on the eye chart from six meters distance, which is equivalent to a Visual acuity of 6/6.


Visually impaired can be will at six metres distance see what a normally sighted people look at 18 meters distance, and Visual acuity is therefore 6/18.


As social blind  will only be able to recognize the large letters on the vision Board at six metres distance. This means that the first of six meters away can see what a normally sighted people looking at 60 meters distance, which is equivalent to a Visual acuity of 6/60.


Other factors affecting eyesight

There are factors other than distance between letters that have an influence on our eyesight.

Light also has an impact. A good lighting and a Blackboard with black letters on a white background gives the greatest possible contrast. Why should you measure of vision with the same lighting in all clinics.

You can also measure the contrast sensitivity, which means that you measure eyesight under different contrast ratio. It gives a good picture of the quality of vision.


Eye Chart



Contrast Sensitivity


THREE CUPS OF COFFEE PER DAY INCREASES THE RISK OF GLAUCOMA



A new American study calls on coffee lovers to cut down on the black drink. Researchers have found a link between coffee and glaucoma.

According to researchers, people who drink at least three cups of coffee a day, the risk of developing glaucoma (glaucoma), which can lead to impaired vision or blindness.

Researchers from Harvard University, the United States has followed around 120,000 persons over 40 years from the 1980s to 2008, who had no signs of glaucoma, and asked for their coffee habits.

Among those who daily drank coffee, was the likelihood of developing precancerous glaucoma, also called exfoliation glaucoma, significantly higher compared with those who drank coffee – in particular in persons with glaucoma in the family.

Exfolation glaucoma is characterised by the pigments in the eye that river loose and blocking the drain of the fluid in the eye. It creates increased pressure within the eye and can affect the optic nerve cells at the back of the eye and thus reduce the eyesight. Eye disease is mostly prevalent among the older segment of the population.

There is, however, not found the same correlation among other caffeinated products such as soft drinks, tea or chocolate.