Eye Allergies (Allergic Conjunctivitis)

Allergies: Allergy Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is one of the most common and treatable eye conditions in children and adults. Often called "pink eye," it is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid and helps keep the eyelid and eyeball moist.

Viruses, bacteria, irritating substances (shampoo, dirt, smoke, pool chlorine), sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or allergens (substances that cause allergies) can all cause conjunctivitis. Pink eye caused by bacteria, viruses or STDs can spread easily from person to person but is not a serious health risk if diagnosed promptly; allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious.

Allergic Conjunctivitis

It is important to find out whether your pink eye is caused by allergies or infection because each condition has different treatments. This article focuses on allergic conjunctivitis.
What Are the Symptoms of Allergic Conjunctivitis?

Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis include:

* Redness in the white of the eye or inner eyelid
* Increased amount of tears
* Itchy eyes
* Blurred vision
* Swelling of the eyelid

See your ophthalmologist (a doctor and surgeon who is trained to treat eye conditions) optometrist (doctor trained to treat eye conditions) or family doctor if you have any of these persistent symptoms.

How Is Allergic Conjunctivitis Treated?

Allergy-associated conjunctivitis may disappear completely, either when the allergy is treated with antihistamines, or when the allergen is removed. Your doctor may recommend you use one or more of the following:

Ocular (topical) decongestants: These medicines reduce redness by constricting small blood vessels in the eye. They are not recommended for long-term use. Using these drops for more than a few days can actually worsen symptoms.

Ocular (topical) antihistamines: These medicines reduce redness, swelling and itching by blocking the actions of histamine, the chemical that causes these symptoms of allergy. They are available both over-the-counter and by prescription.

Ocular (topical) steroids: When other medicines fail, your doctor may prescribe steroid eye drops to relieve the symptoms of conjunctivitis. These must be used with the supervision of your doctor since they can cause elevated pressure inside of the eye, which can lead to vision damage. Your doctor also must check for viral eye infections, such as herpes, before optical steroids are used. These drops can also increase the risk of cataracts, clouding of the lens of the eye that can impair vision.

Cromolyn: This medicine works by preventing specialized cells from releasing histamine. It works best when started before symptoms occur.

Immunotherapy: Allergy shots can be effective for treating allergic conjunctivitis.

What Can I Do to Relieve Symptoms?

To relieve symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis:

Remove contact lenses, if you wear them.
Place cold compresses on your eyes.
Try nonprescription "artificial tears," a type of eye drop that may help relieve itching and burning (Note: Other types of eye drops may irritate the eyes and should not be used.) Do not use the same bottle of drops in the other eye if it is not affected.

The best defense against allergic conjunctivitis is a good offense: try to avoid substances that trigger your allergies.

Other Tips:

* Don't touch or rub the affected eye(s).
* Wash your hands often with soap and warm water.
* Wash your bed linens, pillowcases and towels in hot water and detergent to reduce allergens.
* Avoid wearing eye makeup.
* Don't share eye makeup with anyone else.
* Never wear another person's contact lens.
* Wear glasses instead of contact lenses to reduce irritation.
* Wash your hands before applying the eye drops or ointment to your eye or your child's eye.
* Do not use eye drops that were used in an infected eye in a non-infected eye.

Birth of Baby

ECG Scanning

An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a record of the electric activity of the heart. A standard ECG is produced by sensing electric potentials in six leads from the limbs and six leads from the chest.

Electric signals of the heart spread in all directions. However each standard lead can accurately represent only a small spatial sector around its axis (axes are shown as green arrows). When projected onto an imaginary sphere surrounding the heart, such a conic sector would look like a small circle or an oval.

When an ECG is taken, twelve standard ECG leads may produce normal tracings (gray ovals) while a pathologic focus (black spot) may remain unnoticed. This happens, because electric signals (red arrow) from the pathologic focus do not propagate along (are not collinear with) the axes of any of standard ECG leads and therefore their magnitude does not reach diagnostic thresholds to be properly detected. In such cases a correct diagnosis is missed.

Atrial Fibrillation

AF is the most common type of serious arrhythmia. It’s a very fast and irregular contraction of the atria. AF occurs when the heart’s electrical signal begins in a different part of the atrium than the sinoatrial (SA) node or when the signal is conducted abnormally. When this happens, the electrical signal doesn’t travel through the normal pathways in the atria, but instead may spread throughout the atria in a fast and disorganized manner. This causes the walls of the atria to quiver very fast (fibrillate) instead of beating normally.

AF and other supraventricular arrhythmias can occur for no apparent reason. Most of the time, however, they are caused by an underlying condition that damages the heart muscle and its ability to conduct electrical impulses. These conditions include high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary artery disease, heart failure, or rheumatic heart disease.

Other conditions also can lead to AF, including overactive thyroid gland (too much thyroid hormone produced) and heavy alcohol use. AF also becomes more common as people get older.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color or feel of a mole. Most melanomas have a black or black-blue area. Melanoma may also appear as a new mole. It may be black, abnormal or "ugly looking."

Thinking of "ABCD" can help you remember what to watch for:

* Asymmetry - the shape of one half does not match the other
* Border - the edges are ragged, blurred or irregular
* Color - the color in uneven and may include shades of black, brown and tan
* Diameter - there is a change in size, usually an increase

Melanoma can be cured if it is diagnosed and treated early. If melanoma is not removed in its early stages, cancer cells may grow downward from the skin surface and invade healthy tissue. If it spreads to other parts of the body it can be difficult to control.

Healthcare

The term ‘healthcare communications’ describes a part of the marketing mix which is complementary to, but separate from sales, advertising and direct mail. There is a wide range of activities that will fall within the remit of healthcare communications. Broadly speaking these range from ‘public relations’ such as working with the media or disease awareness campaigns to ‘medical education’ such as clinical meetings, symposia and education resources for healthcare professionals.

Healthcare communications plays a part in most of the activities that support a drug through its lifecycle:

* Strategic planning
* Clinical trial recruitment
* KOL development
* Professional relations
* Product launches
* Conferences and symposia
* Data dissemination
* Disease awareness
* Issues and crisis management

Healthcare communications is a marriage of three areas: science; business and art. It is the combination of these three disciplines that often appeals to people and makes this career path a challenging and rewarding one.

Medical Device Safety

Medical devices include instruments, machines or implants used in medical care. Some, like X-ray machines or thermometers, diagnose diseases or conditions. Others, like pacemakers or inhalers, are used for prevention or treatment.

In the U.S., the government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must approve any device before it can be sold. The FDA also monitors safety for approved devices. If a device is defective or causes a health risk, the FDA can issue a recall.

If you use a medical device at home, make sure that you understand how to use it and follow the directions carefully.
The decision whether or not to dispose of a potentially contaminated medical device is usually made by the pharmacy owner in consultation with appropriate federal, state, and local authorities. In determining which medical devices should be discarded, the owner must assess each product’s current condition and potential safety risks. For additional information, see FDA advice about medical devices that have been exposed to unusual levels of heat and humidity.