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.