Ophthalmology / 20.06.2024

In a country like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with its glittering skyline and bustling streets, having poor eyesight can cause you to miss out on so much. Imagine not being able to fully appreciate the awe-inspiring architecture of the Burj Khalifa or the sparkling waters of the Palm Jumeirah. Picture struggling to navigate the vibrant souks and bustling malls, unable to soak in the rich culture and intricate details of the treasures on display. Poor eyesight might even rob you of the simple joys of watching the sun set over the desert horizon or enjoying dolphin encounters in the best marine-themed parks in the country. Having a clear vision opens up a world of endless possibilities in a city teeming with life and wonder. This guide will help ensure you never miss a moment of Emirati magic with seven simple tips for maintaining healthy eyesight.

1. Watch Your Diet

Good eyesight begins with what you eat. Omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, vitamin C, and vitamin E are some of the nutrients you need to maintain your eye health.
  • Incorporate foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and citrus fruits for vitamins A and C.
  • Enjoy almonds, spinach, and cold-water fish like salmon for vitamin E, lutein, and omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Don’t forget zinc-rich foods like beans and lean meats.
A balanced diet supports healthy eyes and helps reduce your risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes, major contributors to vision loss. (more…)
Ophthalmology / 18.04.2024

Although LASIK has been around for decades, people still have to weigh the pros and cons before going ahead with the surgery. One prominent thing could dissuade people who are interested in it from getting it - the most important LASIK candidacy factors. Simply put, not everyone will be able to have the surgery. The reasons, as the link shows, include having too strong a case of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. eye-lasixPro: It's a Very Fast Surgery When you compare it to other surgeries involving things that play a large part of your senses, a 10-minute surgery is astonishing. You'll be surprised at how quickly things go, even when you're spending some of the time with your eyes pinned open. As a result, you'll feel relief that you're out of the operating room as soon as you are. Since your eyes will be open the entire time, too, you won't have to worry about that post-anesthesia nausea that some people have when they are put under. Con: There Are Some Possible Risks Yes, LASIK has been around for a long time, but that doesn't mean that it's completely perfect. Some people do have some side effects. Even if they didn't have dry eye before, some people can have it for roughly three months. Dry eye is when your eyes can't produce tears, which then leads to them feeling grainy. Other things include having hazy vision, nighttime glare (which can make driving at night dangerous. (more…)
Author Interviews, Ophthalmology, PLoS / 20.01.2022

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Prof. Jugnoo S Rahi Professor of Ophthalmic Epidemiology and Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist NIHR Senior Investigator Head, Vision and Eyes Group UCL HeadPopulation Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department GOS ICH UCL Director, Ulverscroft Vision Research Group  GOS Institute of Child Health UCL / Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Institute of Ophthalmology UCL / NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre Chair, Academic Committee Chair, British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit Executive Committee Royal College of Ophthalmologists  MedicalResearch.com:  What is the background for this study?    Response: We hypothesised that if changing environmental factors, in particular educational experience, are accounting for increasing frequency of myopia in the UK, a cohort effect would be discernible in changing associations with myopia, with different profiles for childhood and adult-onset forms. We investigated this using the UK Biobank Study, a unique large contemporary adult population sample whose members, born over a period of more than three decades, have undergone a detailed ophthalmic examination. This affords the opportunity to analyse ‘historical’ cohorts covering a period of important socio-demographic, economic, and educational change in the UK from which current and emerging trends may be identified and examined. Drawing on our previous proof-of-concept study, we investigated whether there were differences between childhood-onset versus adult-onset myopia in temporal trends in both frequency and severity and in associations with key environmental factors. (more…)
Author Interviews, JAMA, Ophthalmology, Pediatrics / 11.08.2020

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Jeffrey J. Walline, OD PhD Associate Dean for Research The Ohio State University Columbus, OH 43210-1240  MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? Response: Greater amounts of nearsightedness are related to higher risks of sight-threatening complications in adulthood, so anything we can do to slow the progression of nearsightedness in childhood can have meaningful benefits in the future. As the prevalence of nearsightedness increases worldwide and affects approximately 1/3 of the people in the United States, a treatment that provides clear vision AND slows the progression of nearsightedness can have a profound effect. (more…)
Author Interviews, Columbia, Environmental Risks, Genetic Research, Ophthalmology, PLoS / 09.10.2018

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Andrei V. Tkatchenko, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor Columbia University Medical Center Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute New York, NY 10032 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Clear distance vision is rapidly becoming a rare privilege around the world, especially in Asia, due to increasing prevalence of myopia. Although much effort has been directed towards elucidating the mechanisms underlying refractive eye development and myopia, treatment options for myopia are mostly limited to optical correction, which does not prevent progression of myopia or pathological blinding complications often associated with the disease. During early childhood development, the axial length of the eye normally grows to match its optical power in a process called emmetropization, producing focused images on the retina. However, very often environmental and genetic factors lead to a mismatch between the optical power of the eye and its axial length resulting in the development of myopia if eyes grow too long for their optical power. Experimental studies in many animal species suggest that emmetropization is regulated by optical defocus. The eye can compensate for imposed negative and positive optical defocus by increasing or decreasing its growth rate, respectively. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying emmetropization are poorly understood which prevents development of anti-myopia drugs. (more…)