Your Family – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 71

Heartsattacksmostoftenhappen

onMondays.

‘Brokenheartsyndrome’hassimilar

symptomstoaheartattack.Whileheart

attacksresultfromheartdisease,however,

brokenheartsyndromeoccursduetoarush

ofstresshormonesfollowingemotionally

orphysicallystressfulevents.Dyingof

abrokenheart(ie,griefanddistress)is

possible,althoughextremelyrare.

Theearliestknowncaseofheart

diseasewasrevealedintheremainsof

a 3 500-year-oldmummyfromEgypt.

Canceroftheheartisextremelyrare,as

heartcellsstopdividing.

Aheartcancontinuebeatingevenwhen

removedfromthebody.

Thebeatingsoundisdueto

theopeningandclosingof

theheart’svalves.

Heartsbeatabout 115000

timesaday.

Theheartpumpsover

7000 litresofbloodaday.

Learnmoreaboutyourheart

thisHeartHealthMonth

DID YOU KNOW?

Beingtiedtoyourdeskincreasesyourriskofprematuredeath

Astudyofmorethan 220000 participantsfoundthatthelengthoftime

spentsittingatyourdeskisrelatedtohowlongyou’lllive,evenifyou

exerciseregularly.Adultswhosatforlongerthan 11 hoursadaywere

40%morelikelytodieprematurely(fromanyhealth-relatedcause)than

thosewhosatforlessthanfourhoursaday.Forthosewhosatforeight

to 11 hoursaday,theriskofdyingprematurelywas15%higher,compared

withthosewhosatforlessthanfourhoursaday.Makesureyougetup

frequentlyforbreaks(preferablyinvolvingwalking,swimming,jogging

orsomeformofphysicalactivity),orconsiderastandingdeskifyoufeel

youspendtoomuchtimesitting.Itcouldaddyearstoyourlife!

Avisittotheoptometristcanend

upleavingyoumoreconfused

aboutthestateofyoureyesthan

youwerebefore,withcomplicated

prescriptionswritteninunfamiliar

shorthandthatdoesn’tmake

sensetothelayman.Here’showto

demystifytheLatinjargon:

OD:Oculusdexter,referstothe

righteye.

OS:Oculussinister,referstothe

lefteye.

OU:Oculusuterque,refersto

botheyes.

SPH:Anabbreviationfor‘sphere’.

Thisismeasuredusingdiopters(D)

andisaccompaniedbyanumber

whichindicateswhatstrengthof

lensesisrequired.Ifthere’saplus

sign(+)nexttothenumber,your

prescription’sindicatingthatyou’re

far-sighted,whileaminussign(-)

indicatesnear-sightedness.

CYL:Thisreferstocylindrical

correctionandisusedtodetermine

astigmatism.Again,aplussignis

usedforthecorrectionofafar-

sightedastigmatism,whileaminus

signisusedforthecorrectionofa

near-sightedastigmatism.NoCYL

numbereithermeansyoudon’t

haveastigmatism,or–if

youdo–thatit’stooslightto

requirecorrecting.

Axis:Ifyourprescriptiondoes

showaCYLnumber,itwillbe

accompaniedbyanaxisnumber.

Thisindicatesthedirectionofthe

astigmatismcorrection.Itusesa

Goonlinefor

tipsonhow

totakecare

ofyourheart.

SIGHT FOR SORE EYES

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU

HAVE YOUR EYES CHECKED?

Now that you can understand your own

prescription, get to the optometrist for

an eye exam! Eye conditions change

over time, so those glasses you’ve been

wearing for years might no longer be

correct for you.

Adults aged 19-40 who’ve

experienced problems with their vision

should have their eyes examined at

least every two years, while over-40s

should go at least once a year. Adults

with no vision problems should visit an

optometrist every five years until the

age of 30, and thereafter every two to

four years. From 65 onwards, check in

with an optometrist every two years.

Keep your optometrist and GP

informed of any changes to your vision

and ask your doctor to screen for eye-

related conditions such as glaucoma and

cataracts, which are most easily treated

if diagnosed early.

protractor scale to show where on the

eye the astigmatism can be found.

COMPILED BY CAITLIN GENG PHOTOS: STOCK.ADOBE.COM THE INFORMATION ON THESE PAGES IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT. ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR GP OR A MEDICAL SPECIALIST FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR HEALTH.