home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The World of Computer Software
/
World_Of_Computer_Software-02-387-Vol-3of3.iso
/
b
/
blbag012.zip
/
BLACKBAG.012
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1993-03-21
|
7KB
|
139 lines
Weekly Health Bulletin
Courtesy of Black Bag Medical Information Services
America's Online Health Information Connection(tm)
302-994-3772
This document is provided for educational purposes only. The
information provided is NOT to be considered as diagnostic or
individual advice. No specific medical quidance or treatment can be
recommended without consultation with a physician. You should consult
your personal physician prior to utilizing any medical information
discussed in this document. Those contributing to this informational
bulletin, disclaim all responsibility for any actions taken by persons
in reliance upon information stated in this program. Should you choose to
disregard this warning, you assume the risk and responsibility for your
actions.
MAJOR CAUSES OF BLINDNESS
Every year 50,000 Americans become blind. Blindness occurs most often
with advancing age, with half of all blind people generally considered to be
over sixty-five. A significant number of blind people, however, are children
or young adults.
There are many causes of blindness, but the major ones in this country
include:
CATARACTS - Opacities and clouding of the eye's lens, known as cataracts,
may form and block the passage of light through the eye. Some people are born
with cataracts, but the incidence increases with age. They are not painful;
in fact the only symptom is blurred, dimmed, or double vision. Not all
require surgery, but those large enough to cause serious visual problems
require surgical removal of the lens, implantation of an intraocular lens, and
corrective glasses or contact lenses.
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY - The increased lifespan of diabetics has increased
the incidence of this disorder. Changes in the tiny blood vessels of the
-Pause- [C]ontinue, [N]onStop, [S]top? [N]
diabetic's retina can cause blindness. Abnormal blood vessels are formed,
some may burst, and the retina may even break loose from the back of the eye.
Laser treatments to "seal" blood vessels or reattach the retina may help if
undertaken early. Some diabetics, incidentally, do not experience vision
loss.
GLAUCOMA - Perhaps one in every seven or eight cases of blindness is due
to this disorder, in which the transparent fluid inside the forward part of
the eye does not drain normally, and excess pressure is built up within the
eye. If the pressure is not controlled, the delicate structure of the eye is
increasingly damaged, resulting in blurred vision, a narrowed field of sight,
and eventually total blindness. Early symptoms may include blurred vision,
halos around lights, and reduced side vision. In the acute type, there is
great pain as eye pressure rises quickly from blocked drainage canals. In the
more common chronic type there is no pain, and vision loss is gradual. Many
cases are controlled very well by medication, but surgery is sometimes
necessary. Early detection is important.
MACULAR DEGENERATION - As the inner surface or lining at the back of the
eye, the retina functions a little like the film in a camera. The macula is
the part of the retina which forms the center of the "picture" and the
sharpest image. Degeneration or breakdown of the retina may occur, especially
with increased age. The disorder may be slow or rapid, but peripheral vision
usually remains good. Magnifiers may help, and a few people may be helped by
laser treatment to seal off blood vessels which have grown beneath the retina
or to repair the macular's weak spots by removing worn-out tissue and allowing
new tissue growth.
RETINITIS PIGMENTOSA - Frequently beginning as what is called "night
blindness," this condition brings degeneration of the retina and the choroid
(a related vascular area). It is hereditary, with a variety of patterns of
inheritance and development. Visual loss is progressive, so that the
individual is usually legally blind by young adulthood and slowly loses more
and more vision thereafter. The visual field narrows, frequently resulting in
what is commonly termed "tunnel vision" or even total blindness. There is no
known treatment.
Many other vision disorders can cause blindness. If you are experiencing
difficulty with your vision, seek attention from a professional eye specialist
immediately.
Part II
The Twelve Steps
of Overeaters Anonymous
1. We admitted we were powerless over food - that our lives
had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the
care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being
the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing
to make ammends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except
when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong
promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our
conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying
only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry
that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these
Steps, we tried to carry this message to compulsive overeaters, and to
practice these principles in all our affairs.
This news file is compiled weekly from the archives of the
BLACK BAG MEDICAL INFORMATION SERVICES
302-994-3772
Featuring
**** Daily Health News from USA Today ****
***** Daily AIDS News *****
***** Daily NASA Updates *****
***** Daily FDA Updates *****
***** Morbidity and Mortality Weekly *****
***** Health Info Newsletter *****
***** Latest AIDS Statistics *****
***** Weekly APS and Physics News *****
Over 120 Message areas devoted to medicine, science, disABILITIES, AIDS,
Recovery, EMS. Multiple self help groups are also online. We also
feature a large disease and symptom database where you can leave about
ails you. Don't forget Medical doors. Learn about your medications,
why you smoke and much more. The worlds largest file collection
devoted to medicine, science and health.
Now with 700 megs online. Hope you will call and try it out.
Free access first call.
Home of the BLACK BAG Medical BBS list!
Hundreds of Medical BBS's listed