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Dear Dr. Hansen: I lead a very active lifestyle and am constantly outdoors. How do I best take care of my eyes during outdoor activities?

Protect your eyes from the environment, not just the sun. There’s a high risk for injury with many outdoor sporting activities. It’s paramount that you have effective sunglasses to protect eyes from flying objects and from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Brand names and high price tags do not indicate the quality of the lens. You should go to your eye care practitioner for recommendations for a pair that protects the entire eye.

Babies and infants in strollers should wear eye protection as well. People who start protecting their eyes at a young age are less likely to have problems later in life.

Keep rewetting products with you at all times. Keeping your eyes lubricated helps keep them free of certain pathogens. You should never rinse your contact lenses with water. Use eyedrops to lubricate and rewet contact lenses. The Complete Revitalize Active Pack for soft lenses contains all you need to keep eyes comfortable and protected while you’re on the go-it contains a travel-size Complete MoisturePlus Multi-Purpose Solution and Blink-N-Clean Lens rewetting drops.

Dear Dr. Hansen: Can I swim while wearing contact lenses?

No. All water (tap water, pools, lakes, the ocean, etc.) contains all sorts of contamination. Hot tubs are the worst. It doesn’t matter if you open your eyes briefly-you could get an infection in a matter of a few seconds. The best way to protect your eyes while swimming is to remove your contact lenses and wear good athletic goggles.

Dear Dr. Hansen: What should I look for in a good pair of sunglasses?

Sunglasses provide protection from UV rays in sunlight. Exposed UV light may damage the cornea and retina; however, good sun lenses can reduce the harmful UV rays. You can see on the sunglasses’ label its level of protection from UVA and UVB rays. Poorly made sunglasses may also cause visual distortion. Unfortunately, distortion-free lenses cannot be checked over the counter. This distortion results in a reduction of optical clarity and may cause headaches. Buying the right pair of sunglasses gives you maximum protection, so visit your eye care practitioner for recommendations of a good pair.

Dear Dr. Hansen: How can I prevent dry eye?

Dry eye syndrome is very common. It causes a variety of symptoms, from irritation, burning and itching, to blurred vision. Though dry eyes cannot be cured, there are a number of steps that can be taken to treat them. Eat a proper, healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and get good exercise. Take breaks from staring at your computer screen every 30 minutes. Blink at intervals of three to five seconds to move tears and lubricate the eye. If you wear contact lenses, use a moisturizing lens solution for optimum comfort such as Complete MoisturePlus Multi-Purpose Solution for soft lenses that soothes with artificial tear ingredients, which can make a difference in how your eyes feel.

David W. Hansen, OD, FAAO, was in clinical practice, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and is currently Director, Professional Services at Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. in Santa Ana, Calif.

The best way to protect your eyes while swimming is to remove your contact lenses and wear good athletic goggles.

Dr. Dave Hansen

There’s nothing trivial about having acne problems. If you are one of the millions that suffer from acne outbreaks, you know that it can be uncomfortable and even sometimes devastating to someone who is seriously afflicted. As you consider treatment options, you may want the professional help of a physician or dermatologist. These highly trained specialists can be invaluable in helping you achieve clear skin again. While they are not magicians who can make your acne disappear overnight, they can be essential in diagnosing and treating you so that you don’t have to suffer any longer than necessary.

It is important to remember a few things when visiting a skin care specialist. Because there are so many people in the world that suffer from acne outbreaks, dermatologists are often very busy with lots of clients. Don’t let this vex you; a doctor is concerned about your condition and wants to help you. Here are some things that you can do to maximize your visit when you see them. Having effective doctor visits will help you overcome your acne sooner and also help you save money and time.

First, don’t be afraid to ask questions about your condition. Remember, we are all different, so a treatment that is highly effective with one person is not necessarily what is going to work for you. Knowledge about the particulars of your condition will help you better understand the condition you are trying to overcome. You may even want to write down any specific questions you may have to make sure you cover all the topics you want to know about.

The most important aspect of having an effective doctor visit is good communication. By keeping some facts or aspects about your condition from the dermatologist, you are only hurting yourself by giving them an incomplete knowledge of the facts. The doctor can only base his diagnosis on what you have told him, so try to be thorough with the details about your acne. Tell them how long your acne has been affecting you, what other treatments you’ve attempted to do before, what worsens your condition, and any other factors that you think may apply. Tell them how your acne is affecting you emotionally and socially, as mental health is synonymous with your physical health.

Once your doctor and you have discussed your condition, make sure that you fully understand what they will be doing in regards to your treatment. Be sure to understand the correct way to apply the treatment, how long the treatment will last, and how long it will be before you begin to see results. Also, be sure and find out if there are any side effects that go along with the use of the treatment; this will help you be better prepared for any occurrences or problems that may arise. Schedule a follow-up appointment with the doctor and discuss what the status of your condition should be when you return. If you are knowledgeable about the treatment and looking for the desired results, you will know sooner whether your current method is working or not.

Remember that there are many treatments available that work better or worse for different people. Don’t be discouraged if the first method you try does not attain the desired results. Be patient and work with your doctor and you will soon be able to find the most effective treatment that is right for you.

Many people are afflicted with some type of allergy to all sorts of things, such as environmental allergens, odors, fumes, food, and cigarette smoke just to name a few. If symptoms become uncomfortable and happen on a routine basis, then allergy treatment and testing may be in order.
With food allergies and small children, the process of elimination is the best way to determine which food is causing the allergic reaction. Allergy testing methods such as skin testing and blood testing are effective, but some people may respond better to one than the other. Food allergies for instance show up better on blood testing, but if you know you’re allergic to a certain food, wouldn’t you just not eat it?
Environmental allergies are a little trickier. Consider all the possible triggers; weeds, trees, pollens, grasses, dust, dust mites, molds, pet dander, chemical fumes, and cigarette smoke are all popular offenders. Skin allergy testing is the best method to use for diagnosis of these types of allergies if severe enough to warrant this approach. Allergy treatment can then be prescribed based on the level of reaction to certain irritants. Not everyone with allergies has to seek help from a specialist. There are quite a few over-the-counter medications that are very effective in treating symptoms, but if this doesn’t work, then a professional should be consulted. Many times allergies are present with other conditions such as eczema and asthma, and should be evaluated in conjunction to allergy treatment since they all go hand in hand. By treating allergies, related conditions will resolve themselves or lessen significantly as allergy treatment progresses.
Prescribed allergy treatment usually consists of immunotherapy, better known as allergy shots, which expose allergy sufferers to tiny amounts of the offending allergens in gradually increased doses that over time decrease symptoms. Of course, substances that cause severe allergic reactions, such as certain foods (shellfish, eggs, peanuts) and bee stings should be avoided completely. Avoidance is the only allergy treatment in this case, aside from using an Epi-Pen and/or Benadryl in case an accidental exposure occurs. Different allergy treatments and combinations thereof may have to be tried before significant relief occurs. Over time allergies decrease and may eventually disappear requiring less allergy treatment.
There are quite a few online resources you can check out about allergy treatments. Just use Google and you’ll find the most relevant ones.
I also recommend you try drug-free allergy treatments. They can be very effective for you.

*Introduction :Any Chemical released from the Pituitary gland induces physical activities or changes in the body. Pituitary gland is an endocrine gland present in the brain.
The release of chemical from the gland in a moderate quantity leads to correct growth of the human body. But if the release of the chemicals that induces the growth increases, then size of the bones increases and also results in the increase of the growth of soft tissues. This results to many abnormalities in the human body.
The hormone or chemical that induces growth is called as Growth Hormone or Somatotropin. Excess of release of this hormone from the pituitary gland will cause an alteration in the use of nutrients in the body. In children as the bones are still in the growing condition, these changes will cause more and more growth of the bones and this is called as Gigantism.And in adults, after the bone formation has stopped, this change can cause an abnormality which is called as Acromegaly.
*Description :Acromegaly is a rare condition caused in a very few people i.e. one person per 20,000 people can experience this abnormality. This is common in males and females. The identification is not easy for middle aged people till extreme conditions are observed.
*Cause of the Abnormality ituitary gland is present at the base of the brain which release a number of chemicals that are responsible for many functional activities of the systems and organs of the body. The hormones are released and travel throughout the body and are mainly involved in the growth and reproductive activities.
A Gland called Hypothalamus which is present on the base of the brain regulates the secretion of the pituitary. It induces or stops the release of hormones from the pituitary by releasing hormones and sending to the pituitary gland. Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone(GHRH) is released from the hypothalamus which induces and also stops pituitary gland to release hormones.
In the liver, growth hormone produces IGF-1 called “Insulin-like Growth Factor-1″ which is responsible for the growth throughout the body. In the condition of Acromegaly, the pituitary refuses to stop the Growth hormone which leads to increase in the levels of IGF-1 andthe body now loses the capacity to produce and utilise the nutrients.
*Conditions :Induvidual’s hands and feets grows more than normal, and they become thicker.The conditions on the face also change i.e. the nose, jaws become large and the teeth are spread more wider. Tongue also becomes larger. These changes on the face are called as “Coarsening”. the voice of that person becomes Deep and develop Snoring.
*Symptoms rofused sweating-Skin becomes Oily-Body hair increases-Blood Pressure increases-Calcium increases in the urine-Risk of Gallstones increases-Swelling of thyroid glands-Patients often suffer from headache.
Important cause : In about 90% of the patients, it is seen that a non-cancerous tumuor occurs in the pituitary gland, it is called as Pituitary Adenoma. And it is a major factor that causes Acromegaly.
How Does Pituitary Adenoma cause Acromegaly :The tumuor increases in size and presses the adjacent structures present in the brain which cause headache, and also effects the vision. This may damage the pituitary tissues and also brings changes in the production of the hormones and due to this, the Growth Hormones are released in excess. And so this results in Acromegaly.Also due to this, the sexual drive in the males and females decreases and brings changes in menstrual cycle in the females.
The condition if not treated, can cause an early death of the person as this would effect lungs, heart, brain, and also cause Cancer in the large intestine.