Cataract is a condition in which the eye lens becomes progressively opaque. In the initial stage, the crystalline lens may be increased causing myopia and soon accumulation of brown pigment within the lens may reduce the perception of blue colors. Slowly the cataracts will cause loss of vision and one can become blind completely if it’s not given timely treatment. Another fatal cause is that the cataract cortex sometimes liquefies to form a milky white fluid in a morgagnian cataract, leading to severe inflammation when lens capsule ruptures and leaks, causing phacomorphic glaucoma. Varied reasons are given for the formation of cataracts. Some are caused due to exposure to ultraviolet rays, effects of diseases like diabetes, advanced age when the lens gets weakened, genetic factors and eye injuries.

Types of cataracts

• Age-related cataract

• Immature Senile Cataract which leads to partially opaque lens and disc view is hazy.

• Mature Senile Cataract has completely opaque lens.

• Hyper mature Senile Cataract has liquefied cortical matter:

• Congenital cataract

• Sutural cataract

• Lamellar cataract

• Zonular cataract

• Total cataract

• Secondary cataract

• Drug-induced cataract

• Traumatic cataract and

• Blunt trauma Penetrating trauma which has capsular rupture and leakage of lens material.

Treatment:

Surgery is considered the most effective treatment for the removal of cataract. One type of cataract surgery is the Extra-capsular surgery which removes the affected lens only, leaving the majority of the lens capsule intact. The other surgical removal of the cataract is Intra-capsular surgery which removes the entire lens of the eye. This surgery replaces the cataractous lens with a permanent plastic lens.

Due to its low cost and also its affinity, polymethylmethacrylate PMMA is widely used to replace the cataract lens. A softer and more expensive one is the silicon acrylate which can be folded and inserted into the eye through a smaller incision. It’s specially recommended for those with a history of uvetus or at risky stage of retinal detachment. There is also the latest approved multifocal intraocular lens implants which enables most post operative cataract patients the advantage of glass free vision and they are costly too, can rise up to $1500 per eye. But then one’s eye is very precious, it’s worth the amount spent indeed.

For cataract operations, one needs only a day. In fact the patient can leave for home the same day itself. Although yes, risk cases arise only after the surgery’s done. Cases such as thickening and clouding of the lens capsule are common, though it can be quickly corrected using a laser. Well, retinal detachment is another complication of cataract surgery with those patients of extreme myopia.

Prevention:

• Protecting the eye from ultra violet rays by using good sunglasses, which will to an extent reduce the development of cataracts.

• Regular intake of antioxidants like vitamin C and E.

• Stalin’s also have a stable ability to reduce lipids; especially its oxidative quality is useful in the development of nuclear cataracts, which is an age related cataract.

Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers health information and articles on a wide variety of topics.

Ocular migraines are a period of strange visual sensations that may, or may not be followed by a migraine headache.

Who gets them?

They are most common in people who already suffer from classic migraine.

So what happens?

An ocular migraine usually only happens in one eye. When it begins, you may just notice that something is off with your sight.

You may see a tiny spot. Over a period of a few minutes, that spot may get bigger. You may start to lose your vision in patches. The expanded spot may start to shimmer or develop a colored or zig-zagged border.

This pattern may get bigger until it is not only in the center of your vision – but in the outer part too. Usually over 15-30 minutes the distortion may travel out to the side of your vision as well and then simply disappear.

You may, or may not go on to develop a migraine headache. Many people who suffer with this say that they only feel tired after the experience.

What causes ocular migraine?

No one’s quite sure – but it is believed to be caused by an unusual stimulation of the nerves at the back of the brain. In classical migraine, a spasm affects the surface of the brain. In ocular migraine, the blood supply to the eye or the supply to the vision area of the brain is affected.

How often do they happen?

In the same way as classic migraines, ocular ones seem to happen with no particular pattern. You may find that you have several in one week and then not suffer any more at all for months or even years.

Do they have any warning, like a migraine aura?

Some people find that they are extra-sensitive to light and/or sound and this is their signal that an ocular migraine could be on the way.

So who do I go to see – a Doctor or an ophthalmologist?

Many people often go and see their ophthalmologist as they are worried that they are losing their sight. People starting with ocular migraine should also see a neurologist so that other conditions which can give rise to the same sort of symptoms can be ruled out. These include a blood clot in the retinal artery, migraine with aura and stroke.

What treatment can I get for them?

Ocular migraines themselves don’t usually require treatment. They appear to be triggered by the same triggers common to migraine. Prevention is the best way of coping with them:

• Avoid known triggers
• Keep stress levels down
• Keep to a regular routine
• Make sure you get enough sleep

If they are followed by a migraine headache, the usual migraine medications might be prescribed by your Doctor.

Please note: Triptans, which are now commonly used for migraine treatment should not be used for people with ocular migraine. This is because they work by reducing the enlargement of blood vessels and therefore get rid of the pressure on nerves.

This constricting effect could give rise to problems with the blood vessels of the retina and could even result in lost vision.

Triptans include:

• Sumatriptan (Imitrex)
• Zolmitriptan (Zomig)
• Naratriptan (Amerge)

There are other triptans too. If worried or in any doubt, please see your Doctor.

More migraine information may be found at http://Headache.HealthHows.com along with ideas, tips, and help for headaches of all types and causes.

Because my hearing is somewhat impaired, I eagerly read “Save Your Hearing Now: The Revolutionary Program That Can Prevent and May Even Reverse Hearing Loss” by Michael D. Seidman, M.D. and Marie Moneysmith.

Nearly half of 76 million baby boomers say they are dealing with some degree of hearing loss. That’s a 238 percent increase since 1990 when hearing problems affected only 20 percent of this group.

That means that if you are at midlife or even younger, you need to read “Save Your Hearing Now.”

This unique book is more than just about how to save your hearing. It is a comprehensive total health “how to.” Everything you need to know to protect your health and hearing, from exercise to diet — what’s new, what works, how to do it, where to get it – it’s is all there.

The amount of research that went into this work to give the reader the absolute best information and help is outstanding. It’s a meticulous blueprint for achieving a better quality of life.

Unlike other books on hearing loss that I have read, the authors provide a detailed one-of-a kind action program that will help you achieve a level of overall vibrant good health and hearing you might not think possible. The program is a systematic, easy to follow, step-by-step plan that makes it possible to successfully protect and improve health and hearing. If you now have hearing loss, you can learn how it may be possible to reverse it. The authors explain how others have done it.

Because diet is key to health, and certain dietary supplements play a pivotal role in maintaining and repairing health and hearing, the authors tell not only what to take, but why you should take it and how much to take. This is critically important. Advice to take supplements is useless unless you are told how much to take and why.

I am particularly impressed that the authors stress the importance and role of potent antioxidants in preventing hearing loss, particularly alpha lipoic acid and acetyl l-carnitine. Other major supplements scientifically shown to support good health and hearing are covered in detail.

You won’t be confused or overwhelmed with scientific jargon because there isn’t any. Even if you know nothing about supplements, presentation of information is so clear and “user friendly” that you will “get it.”

The quality of resource material and supporting documentation reveals the ultimate usefulness and credibility of any health book. “Save Your Hearing Now” provides many excellent resources with phone numbers, names and addresses for readers to use for additional help and guidance. As a pharmacist, I particularly appreciate the extensive documentation that supports the authors’ findings and recommendations.

Suggestion: If a midlife or younger friend has a birthday coming up, this is the most loving and life changing gift you can give.

Barbara Morris, R.Ph. is a pharmacist, author of "Put Old on Hold" and a recognized authority on health and anti-aging strategies. Sign up for her monthly Put Old on Hold Newsletter at http://www.PutOldonHold.com and download her special report, "Twelve Diva Tested Tips for Fabulous Skin." Her expertise is cited in Art Linkletter and Mark Victor Hansen’s new book, "How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life." More about "Save Your Hearing Now" at http://putoldonhold.net/SaveYourHearing.html

I am reporting a rare case of malignant hypertension in a young man of 27 years. This was detected in one of my busy outpatient days in 1997.

Sunder (not the actual name) consulted me for his minor eye problem. He also complained of deterioration of vision in his left eye. When I examined him, he had already lost around 90% of his useful vision in the left eye and there was not much loss in the other eye. I thought that it was one of the diseases of the retina, so I arranged for the dilatation of the pupil, and examined him in detail. It is worthwhile to note here that Mr. Sunder quarrelled with the receptionist as well as with the doctor (me) for petty reasons. The result of the examination shocked me. I recognised the presence of plenty of haemorrhages and exudates all over the retina, especially in the macular area (central point of the retina). Usually one expects these findings in a man of 60 - 65 years. Immediately I ordered for blood and urine examinations, more important than that the Blood pressure recording. Mr. Sunder who was only 27 years was shocked and even protested with me about B.P. recording. Somehow I was able to convince him and sent him to a competent Physician for a detailed medical examination.

The senior Physician who examined Sunder was surprised and also shocked to record 220/ 130mm of hg, which normally should have been in the range of 120/ 80mm of hg. More than that he was astonished to know that Sunder was not having the symptoms of severe giddiness and headache. The physician immediately congratulated me for having already diagnosed the case as Malignant Hypertension (Abnormal increase of blood pressure), only by looking into the eyes without recording blood pressure.

Even though hypertension is a disease of the body, the effect of the disease is seen in the organs like eye and kidney. The blood pressure exerts pressure over the blood vessels, causes narrowing of blood vessels. In the stage of malignant hypertension, there would be plenty of haemorrhages (bleeding spots), and exudates (accumulation of fatty materials) all over the retina. If this accumulation is concentrated over the macula (the centre point of retina ), the vision deteriorates remarkably, as happened in the case of the left eye of Sunder.

In the case of Mr. Sunder, any delay in the diagnosis by 4-5 days would have caused serious problems not only to the other eye, but also to his life, as there was a possibility of getting an attack of brain haemorrhage. I feel that this is the importance of reporting this case. I am happy to inform that the vision of the affected left eye was improved remarkably by 60-65%, and his blood pressure was reduced to a healthy reading of 130/86 mm of hg. very soon.

– Dr.H.S.Mohan

Macular Degeneration is an eye disease that is often age related. Not much is known about the causes of this disease. How it effects the eye is known. Risk factors have also been determined. Although many treatments are in the early stages there are some treatments that have helped people. Studies and work against the effects of macular degeneration continue.

Macular degeneration is a deterioration of the macula. The macula is at the center of the retina. The retina is the part of the eye that sends visual images to the brain so a person can see. This damage to the macula results in blind spots, blurry or distorted vision. This disease is one of the major visual disease in the United States.

There is not a lot known about macular degeneration. What is known, however is that it is closely linked with aging. There has also been a link found between the disease and a gene variant called complement factor H or CFH. Macular degeneration has two forms: dry or wet. Dry or non-nonvascular macular degeneration is the most common and occurs in 85% to 90% of diagnosis. Wet or nonvascular macular degeneration is a rarer form that results in the worst vision impairments. It is thought that the dry form is caused by thinning of the tissue in the macula. The wet form may be caused by leakage of blood and fluid into the retina.

Since little is known about what exactly causes macular degeneration it is hard to prevent it, but there are some guidelines that have been developed on risk factors that may contribute to the disease. The following list is of those risk factors.

- smoking
- age
- gender (women are at more of a risk)
- family history
- high cholesterol
- race (Caucasians are at more of a risk)
- exposure to ultraviolet light (less is better)

These are just factors that have been studied and shown to play a part in increasing the risk of developing the disease.

There is no cure for macular degeneration. Many medicines and treatments are still in the beginning stages of being studied. If you carry a high risk the best chance of dealing with the disease is getting regular eye exams.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of eye-care-hq.com. Visit Jeanette’s site to learn more about macular degeneration.

We are always told to take 8 cups of water a day.

Yeah. Do you think I’m a horse?

That’s what I have been telling myself until I sit down and do the math:

How the expert comes up with the magic number 8

On average, we get around 3.5 cups of water from various foods, and 0.5 cup as a byproduct from our body’s own metabolism (water is produced when energy is released). At the same time, 2 cups of water is lost through lungs (breathing), 6 cups through intestines and kidney (poo and wee), 2 cups from sweating in inactive activities (like sitting and sleeping), and 2 extra cups from sweating under hot weather or exercise. As you can see we’ll need to drink 8 cups of water to fill that hole.

Just to scare you further, here are a few fun facts on drinking water:

• 75% of the earth is covered with water, of which only 3% is fresh water. Among the 3%, 2% is frozen in polar ice caps (yes, it’s fresh water), thus only 1% of water available on earth is drinkable.Take it while you can!
• We are virtually made of water — A human body is 70% water, similar to an avocado (73%), banana (75%) and a living tree (75%). Strawberry is 91% water.
• While we can normally survive without food for more than a month, we can’t live without water for more than a week.
• Drinks containing concentrated nutrients, such as milk, sugar-sweetened soft drinks, and salty tomato-based juices, count more as food than drink since they themselves increase your body’s water needs.

Composition of water

For tap water, it’s 99.89% water, 0.1% ash (whatever that is), 0.002% (5mg) calcium, 0.002% (5mg) sodium, and 0.001% (2mg) magnesium. We are talking about tap water in the US here. I’m quite sure you’ll get a lot more interesting stuff in tap water from, say, Nepal?

How much is 5mg of Calcium by the way? It equals to the amount of calcium a banana gives you, but banana is quite thrifty on this among fruits. Orange, for example, gives you 10 times of that.

How about bottled water? Interestingly, it does have more Calcium (24mg), and Perrier has even more (32mg). This is already double the amount of Calcium in an average fruit.

On the other hand, if you think the "mineral" water can give you all buzzed up with the good stuff… please note that the bottled water will give you a little bit more Magnesium and Sodium than tap water, and nothing else. And Perrier? Zippo! except the calcium.

My conclusion is to dash into the kitchen and make myself the following:

A glass of really nice water

Time preparation: 5 minutes Serving: 1

Ingredients:

• 1 glass of water
• 1/2 lime

Directions:

1. Walk slowly into the kitchen. Smell the flowers. Think of the poor children in Africa who’ve never had a drop of clean water.
2. Get the freshest lime from the fridge while making sure the water heater is on.
3. Have your favorite glass ready, besides the window. Take a rest, look out of the window and enjoy the scenery.
4. When the water is boiled and cooled, pour it into the glass. Better yet, pour into a simple water filter and then pour it into the glass. See how the water sparkles under the sunlight!
5. Slice the lime; drop a few pieces in the glass and count the cute little bubbles coming out from the slices. Cut another thin slice from the lime, twist and make a pretty garnish.
6. Get a book or magazine and dive yourself into the most comfortable sofa. Drink. Enjoy life.

Stephanie writes a light-hearted daily blog on healthy, delicious and family-friendly beverages, together with nutritional value and fun facts on foods. Know more about what you eat (or should eat) at http://www.yourdailydrink.com

Many companies find payroll to be monotonous and taxing. This is so because of the many government authorities– federal, state and local– who tax payrolls in America, plus the numerous unions, banks and credit unions, and health insurance plans that people can barely keep up with. Online payroll services help eliminate the stress and confusion related to payroll processing. One of the best benefits of submitting payroll online is the speed, precision and safety of the process.

Submitting payroll was never made easier or, in some instances, even fun. Welcome to the world of online accounting!

Completing your payroll online is quick and economical. Checks, previews and reports can be printed from anybody’s desktop. The company on the other side of this online payroll interface will provide the customer with hard copies or reports and paychecks, which if asked for can be personally delivered. The final payroll reports will be sent to the company via email within two hours or less of entering the relevant data.

Online payroll processing resolves the issue surrounding storage space and paper wastage. Besides, a password-protected website will assure the customer of total professional confidentiality. These online payroll services also include 401(K) administration.

What exactly is a 401(K)? It is a type of retirement plan offered by the employer. The idea is to let the employee decide what amount from the paycheck should be deducted and sent towards the plan before federal taxes are cut. Some employers offer what is known as the “company match”, which essentially means money towards your retirement from the company in addition to the individual’s own contribution. Each employee can then choose the mode of investment for these contributions, depending on the choices available in the 401(K) plan.

On retirement, the employee winds up with all the money initially put in and the additional earning on investments, with tax deductions. What this online payroll services then does is automatically withhold, on request, funds from paychecks, and proceed to compute the employer’s share of matching funds.

These 401(K) funds will be transferred in any way that the customer wants, even if it means payment to a third-party dealer via ACH transfer or wire transfer. To make it still easier, the online payroll service provides the customer with a thorough breakdown of how money from each check is distributed into their employees’ 401(K) accounts.

Payroll Services provides detailed information on Payroll Services, Online Payroll Services, Payroll Processing Services, Full Payroll Services and more. Payroll Services is affiliated with Payroll Outsourcing Services.

Some drinks look and taste better in special glasses although you could serve almost any drink in a Highball, white wine or Martini glass. However, since Champagne is a distinguished celebratory drink, it should always be served in its unique and extremely elegant glasses: flutes. Champaigne is a copyrighted trademark of those who make sparkline wine in Champaigne, France. All other drinks of this type are called sparkling wine.

A Champagne flute is a tulip-shaped glass designed to show off the “bead” (bubbles) of the fine wine as they brush against the sides of the glass and delicately fan out into a “mousse”. The flute has a long stem with a tall, narrow bowl on top, which is better than the traditional saucer-shaped glass at trapping and preserving the bead. After all, the fizzy bubbles are central to the pleasure of drinking a glass of Champagne, as compared to other wines. What’s more, they help to explode the bouquet just beneath your nose as you’re sipping the bubbly.

The tulip-shaped form enhances the Champagne’s robe, favors the ascension of the bead and prevents the wine’s bouquet from disappearing too quickly. Wine connoisseurs, of course, are acquainted with the fact that a particular flute might allow older Champagne to open more, while another will keep the Champagne chilled longer.

It should be noted that Champagne flutes need special care. Overcooling, soap residue or strong odors agitate the beads. To make sure your Champagne bubbles cheerfully, ascertain that your flutes are washed in clear water and dried with a lint-free dishcloth.

Champagne provides detailed information on Champagne, French Champagne, Champagne Glasses, Champagne Racks and more. Champagne is affiliated with Alcohol Treatments.

How do you become successful in your chosen online career? We have seen successful people who run online businesses interviewed on television. They quit their stable jobs and started being their own bosses working at home. Giving up regular job is not easy but they took their chances. It was a big transition for them.

Do you want to be one of these people that became successful running their very own businesses at home? Here are some of the guidelines that you should consider to help become successful in your chosen online career.

Working from home really helps a lot, especially if you are the one who takes care of the household chores. However, working from home does not necessarily mean that you should quit your job right away just to focus on the household chores and make some income at home. This is not what you should have in mind. To become successful, you must focus on your work. Time management is the key.

Example, if you work in an office, you can focus on the office work because you don’t see the chores at home like washing clothes, cleaning the house, etc. If you are working at home, there is a good chance that household chores and your kids will interrupt you. You should devote a specific time to work each day. You should have a separate time for work and a separate time to attend to your household responsibilities. Working at home is just like working in an office, but, of course, your time is more. The best thing is that you are your own boss.

Have self-confidence and patience. Success is not achieved in a short time. Business, whether online of offline, can be compared to an ordinary life of a person. There are good and bad moments. You have to be strong to survive. Believe in yourself. Just think of ways you can use get past problems.

Save your earnings. If your business is flourishing, there is no guarantee that it will over the long term, so you have to set money aside to use when your business is not as active as before. Sometime, people who gave up their careers miss their office and their co-workers enough that they want to quit their online business and go back to their jobs again. During this time, it is hard to decide what to do. This is one of the downsides of working at home – working alone most of the time. However, you can keep yourself motivated by remembering the benefits of working at home for you and your family.

Working at home is such a good idea. Many opportunities are available for those who have decided to work at home. To successfully work at home, you need to have the right attitude so that you can make your online business a success.

Mabel Ang is a Online Entrepreneur and she is planning her Retire-freely life at age 45, Visit http://easy-online-earnings.com to learn how you can Retire early and freely too. For God Says : Seek and and you will find, Ask and you will be given.

The best place to go to buy something special would be everywhere! You will find gifts wherever you go; in a bazaar, a mega sale or in a tag sale. There is bound to be something here that will be unique and special, and thus worth buying. You know when a loved one’s function or birthday will be around the corner; so you may as well buy something well in advance, to be gifted on the special day.

It is not that you have to always present something materialistic; there are many other ideas for a gift. You could present painting lessons or art history courses to the art enthusiast or perhaps a gift certificate of a shopping mall. Welcome services are always welcome as a gift! The tired housewife and mother will consider a body massage and some baby-sitting time the best gifts of the world! No gift could resist the opportunity of spending some quality time on oneself. Besides baby sitting and body massage, you could also present a fruitful day in the spa with all treatments or the services of a chef for a day to rid the mother of cooking for a day. All these ideas are booming ideas for the tired and busy mother.

Some people have a hobby of collecting antiques and artifacts. You could keep your eyes out for rare prints of books or notes, books that are no longer in circulation or antiques in internet auction sites and chat rooms. It is not that you spend loads on the antique; just buy something small, rare and memorable. If you love making things, you can always create gifts to be gifted. You could perhaps bake a lovely cake, or knit a pair of gloves or socks for your granny. Candle making is rampant today, so use your imagination to produce a candle that is attractive to the eye of the admirer.

If you are really lost on the perfect, unique gift for your loved one, you could always get the help of the internet. You could just follow links, till you find something interesting that could be gifted. If you are not the creative type to make something special as a presentation, you can still create something special for a gift. All you have to do is to approach a craftsman who makes unique gifts. You give an idea of the kind of gift you would like to make to your loved one, and the craftsman will definitely think up of something special to create for you.

Learn to mix and match, to create something new. Combine two items to create a single, stunning gift as a presentation. The unique lamp looks better with that lamp shade that you bought at a tag sale; use it together as a gift for your loved one. There is basically no steadfast rule for unique gifts; just use your imagination. For inspiration, you could leaf through magazines. But perspiration is needed for creating the unique gift!

Robert Mathew is an enthusiastic writer and writes for Digital Labz and the following websites: Unique holiday gifts and Holiday gift baskets