Woman’s Weekly UK – 27 August 2019

Retinal

detachment

Retinal

break

Retinal

detachment

Sclera

Choroid

Retina

Vitreous

body

Q

Can I avoid

having

another retinal

detachment?

A

Retinaldetachmentoccurswhen

theretina,themembraneofcells

thatregisterlightandcolourand

sendthepicturetothebrain,comesaway

fromtheinsideoftheeye.Ifit’snottreated

urgently,permanentsightlosscanoccur.

Thecausesofretinaldetachment

includeage-relatedconditionssuchas

thevitreous,a gelthatfillstheeyeball,

comingaway,pullingtheretinawithit,

orscarringfromotherdiseasesuchas

diabeticandhypertensiveretinopathy.

Fluidleaksbehindtheretinacanoccurin

inflammatoryeyediseases,anda blowto

theeyeballcanalsoresultindetachment.

Onceyou’vehadone,you’reathigher

riskoffurtherepisodesbutthemost

importantthingistobeawareofthe

symptomsandgethelpquickly.Ifyou

havechronicdiseasesthatmaybe

related,suchasdiabetes,hypertension

orinflammatorydiseases,makesure

theseconditionsarewellmanaged.Also,

weareyeprotectionforDIY,gardeningor

sporttopreventdirectblowstotheeye.

4 FIXES FOR...

SUNSTROKE

1

Stayout

ofthe

heat of day

Shelterfromthe

sunbetween11am

and3pm,andtry

tositquietlyinthe

shade,ratherthan

directsunlight,

atalltimes.

4

Try some

evaporation

cooling

Tepidshowers,or

sprinklingtepidwater

overyourskinorclothes,

canhelp.Butavoidcold

water,asthisshutsskin

bloodvessels,causing

coretemperaturetorise.

3

Slip,

slop,

slap

Sliponalight-

coloured,loose

T-shirtandloose

trousers,slop

onhigh-factor

sunlotionand

slaponasunhat.

2

Drink

plenty

Avoidheavy,

sweatyactivity,

drinklotsof

cooldrinksand

avoidalcohol,as

itdehydratesyou

bymakingyou

passmoreurine.

DR

GILL

IS

UNABLE

TO

OFFER

INDIVIDUAL

ADVICE

OR

SEE

INDIVIDUAL

PATIENTS.

ADVICE

GIVEN

HERE

IS

FOR

GENERAL

INFORMATION

ONLY.

PLEASE

SEEK

HELP

FROM YOUR OWN GP IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL PROBLEM

HEALTH

womansweekly.com 31

be used for 8-12 weeks
before you gradually reduce.

Tablet treatment
Prescribed on the NHS, there
are varenicline (Champix)
and bupropion (Zyban).
Both work on the brain’s
nicotine craving and can
double your chances of
quitting. Varenicline is
probably the most effective.
Your GP or specialist nurse
will give you smoking
cessation advice and make
a plan with you.
It’s important to choose a
stop date, and have a plan,
including ways to deal with
cravings. After stopping,
you’ll notice withdrawal
symptoms, including
restlessness, irritability and
poor concentration. But
once you stop, your health
will rapidly improve – after
just 24 hours the carbon
monoxide is gone from your
lungs and they can begin
to clear debris. After three
days your energy improves.

TRUE

OR FALSE?

Diabetes can

always be prevented

by weight loss.

False. While if you’re very obese,

losing weight can cause diabetes

to regress, even enough for you to

come off medication, you’ll always

be at a greater than average risk.

Diabetes is an ageing condition,

and also it’s thought there’s a

background of genetic

tendency in families.