Many pediatric eye doctors believe that environmental stress of the "indoor world" rather than heredity is creating the myopia (nearsightedness) epidemic. In fact, children using computers before their visual systems are fully developed are at the very heart of the public health problem called computer vision syndrome. To prevent your child from suffering from CVS, follow these five tips:
1. Before starting school, every child should have a comprehensive eye exam, including near-point (computer and reading) and distance testing.
2. Workstations should be arranged to suit a child — not an adult.
3. The recommended distance between the monitor and the eye for children is 18-28 inches. By viewing the computer screen closer than 18 inches, children risk straining their eyes.
4. Parents and teachers should be aware of any behavior that indicates potential problems, such as eye redness, frequent rubbing of the eyes, head turns and other unusual postures, or complaints of blurriness or eye fatigue. Avoidance of the computer may also be an indication of discomfort.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
The World's First Photograph
One summer day in France in 1826, Joseph Niepce took the world's first photograph. It's a photo of some farm buildings and the sky. It took an exposure time of 8 hours.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Children and Computer Vision Syndrome
The average American child now spends one to three hours per day on the computer doing homework, talking online with friends, and playing games. Parents encourage children as young as two or three years old to use the computer. In fact:
· 90% of school-age children have computer access at home or in school.
· 54 million children in the United States alone use a computer at home or in school.
Many pediatric computer vision eye doctors believe that heavy computer use among children puts them at risk for early myopia. They point to several recent studies as evidence that computers can have a negative impact on a child's vision:
· 25% to 30% of computer-using children need corrective eyewear to work comfortably and safely at the computer at home or in school, says a study at the University of California at Berkeley School of Optometry.
· The percentage of first-graders with myopia has increased from 12.1% to 20.4% since 1995, according to a study by the Department of Health in Taiwan.
· A similar study in Singapore found that in three years the percentage of seven- to nine-year-olds with myopia had doubled, to 34%.
Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. Twenty years ago, most children played outside, and their distant vision was more important. Today, most children work at a computer either at home or school each day. Sitting in front of a computer and staring at a computer screen is causing vision problems that were not known years ago.
Today it is a "near-point world," and parents need to be aware of the vision problems associated with computer work. Computer use demands fine motor skills from young eyes that are not well developed. Only when the visual system matures is a child better able to handle the stress of a computer on that system.
According to the American Optometric Association, the impact of computer use on children's vision involves these factors:
· Children have a limited degree of self-awareness. They may perform a task on the computer for hours with few breaks. This prolonged activity can cause eye focusing and eye strain problems.
· Children are very adaptable. They assume that what they see and how they see is normal — even if their vision is problematic. That's why it is important for parents to monitor the time a child spends working at a computer.
· Children are smaller than adults. Since computer workstations are often arranged for adult use, this can change the viewing angle for children. Computer users should view the screen slightly downward, at a 15-degree angle. Furthermore, as a result of difficulty reaching the keyboard or placing their feet on the floor, a child may experience neck, shoulder and/or back pain.
(Continue tomorrow)
· 90% of school-age children have computer access at home or in school.
· 54 million children in the United States alone use a computer at home or in school.
Many pediatric computer vision eye doctors believe that heavy computer use among children puts them at risk for early myopia. They point to several recent studies as evidence that computers can have a negative impact on a child's vision:
· 25% to 30% of computer-using children need corrective eyewear to work comfortably and safely at the computer at home or in school, says a study at the University of California at Berkeley School of Optometry.
· The percentage of first-graders with myopia has increased from 12.1% to 20.4% since 1995, according to a study by the Department of Health in Taiwan.
· A similar study in Singapore found that in three years the percentage of seven- to nine-year-olds with myopia had doubled, to 34%.
Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. Twenty years ago, most children played outside, and their distant vision was more important. Today, most children work at a computer either at home or school each day. Sitting in front of a computer and staring at a computer screen is causing vision problems that were not known years ago.
Today it is a "near-point world," and parents need to be aware of the vision problems associated with computer work. Computer use demands fine motor skills from young eyes that are not well developed. Only when the visual system matures is a child better able to handle the stress of a computer on that system.
According to the American Optometric Association, the impact of computer use on children's vision involves these factors:
· Children have a limited degree of self-awareness. They may perform a task on the computer for hours with few breaks. This prolonged activity can cause eye focusing and eye strain problems.
· Children are very adaptable. They assume that what they see and how they see is normal — even if their vision is problematic. That's why it is important for parents to monitor the time a child spends working at a computer.
· Children are smaller than adults. Since computer workstations are often arranged for adult use, this can change the viewing angle for children. Computer users should view the screen slightly downward, at a 15-degree angle. Furthermore, as a result of difficulty reaching the keyboard or placing their feet on the floor, a child may experience neck, shoulder and/or back pain.
(Continue tomorrow)
Monday, August 29, 2005
First Face transplantation
Dr. Peter Butler Tell about Face transplantation.
Peter Butler of the Royal Free Hospital in London said that face transplantation will be the only effective way of treating some severely disfigured patients, such as those who have suffered extensive burns or facial cancer.
But his own survey of 120 people including nurses and doctors revealed that while some would be willing to receive a face transplant, none would be prepared to donate their own face. Butler hopes that if full details of the procedure and its medical need are made clear, potential donors might be able to overcome their initial revulsion.
The recipient would not look like the donor, Butler stresses. Martin Evison, an expert in forensic facial reconstruction at the University of Sheffield, UK, agrees. "The musculature of a face is particular to a skull as it develops. Muscles in the face of one person would have to be re-sculpted if they were to be transplanted onto another skull - and the face would not look the same," he says.
A face transplant would involve removing the face, facial muscles and subcutaneous fat from the recipient. The donor face from a recently dead person, complete with lips, chin, ears, nose, eight major blood vessels and even some bone, would then be grafted into place.
The loss of facial tissue is a devastating injury, Butler says. Skin from other parts of the patient's body can be transplanted, but he or she cannot move this skin, creating a mask-like effect.
Encouraging the regeneration of cut facial nerves in the recipient - essential for movement and sensation - will be key to a transplant's success. This will not be easy or immediate, but recently developed growth factors and even immunosuppressants will speed the process, says Butler.
In the past, skin's particularly potent ability to stimulate the immune system if grafted from one person to another had been a barrier to attempting face transplantation. But new immunosuppressants have permitted successful hand transplants, for example.
And Butler thinks advances in microsurgery over the past few years now make the procedure technically possible. He says he plans to conduct anatomical experiments over the next six months to demonstrate the feasibility of a transplant.
The idea of taking off a dead person's face and putting it on someone else appears to have come straight out of science fiction, Butler wrote in a commentary in the Lancet in July. But if face transplantation is shown to be the only effective way of treating severely disfigured patients, then doctors would have a duty to use the technique, he concluded.
Only one parts is balance in our body to transplant, it’s the Brain.
Face transplants will be technically possible, now the public must decide whether the procedure is ethically acceptable, says a leading UK plastic surgeon.
Peter Butler of the Royal Free Hospital in London said that face transplantation will be the only effective way of treating some severely disfigured patients, such as those who have suffered extensive burns or facial cancer.
But his own survey of 120 people including nurses and doctors revealed that while some would be willing to receive a face transplant, none would be prepared to donate their own face. Butler hopes that if full details of the procedure and its medical need are made clear, potential donors might be able to overcome their initial revulsion.
The recipient would not look like the donor, Butler stresses. Martin Evison, an expert in forensic facial reconstruction at the University of Sheffield, UK, agrees. "The musculature of a face is particular to a skull as it develops. Muscles in the face of one person would have to be re-sculpted if they were to be transplanted onto another skull - and the face would not look the same," he says.
A face transplant would involve removing the face, facial muscles and subcutaneous fat from the recipient. The donor face from a recently dead person, complete with lips, chin, ears, nose, eight major blood vessels and even some bone, would then be grafted into place.
The loss of facial tissue is a devastating injury, Butler says. Skin from other parts of the patient's body can be transplanted, but he or she cannot move this skin, creating a mask-like effect.
Encouraging the regeneration of cut facial nerves in the recipient - essential for movement and sensation - will be key to a transplant's success. This will not be easy or immediate, but recently developed growth factors and even immunosuppressants will speed the process, says Butler.
In the past, skin's particularly potent ability to stimulate the immune system if grafted from one person to another had been a barrier to attempting face transplantation. But new immunosuppressants have permitted successful hand transplants, for example.
And Butler thinks advances in microsurgery over the past few years now make the procedure technically possible. He says he plans to conduct anatomical experiments over the next six months to demonstrate the feasibility of a transplant.
The idea of taking off a dead person's face and putting it on someone else appears to have come straight out of science fiction, Butler wrote in a commentary in the Lancet in July. But if face transplantation is shown to be the only effective way of treating severely disfigured patients, then doctors would have a duty to use the technique, he concluded.
Only one parts is balance in our body to transplant, it’s the Brain.
Face transplants will be technically possible, now the public must decide whether the procedure is ethically acceptable, says a leading UK plastic surgeon.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Indian Snooker Player Pankaj Advani
Every generation needs achievers to light up the path, to inspire youth into thinking big and in the process lift the spirits of an entire nation. Pankaj Advani may have arrived, as if on cue, to become that face in the crowd in 2003 by winning the International Billiards and Snooker Federation's World Amateur Snooker Championship at Jiangmen, China. He emulated the late Om Agrawal's 1984 achievement, though there is a buzz about India's second World beater because not only is he 18 and successful, but also capable of making a dramatic impact on the world stage. "So many achievers have done so much. I have a long way to go,'' said the champion, the humility coming through even when talking about his astounding achievement.
Pankaj Advani born on July 24, 1985 in Banglore India.
Already hailed as a `prodigy' by peers for winning the 2002 senior National snooker title at 17, Advani is only justifying the promise displayed in the 2001 World under-21 snooker at Latvia when he finished third. Snooker is a high stakes, high profile sport in the pro ranks, tailored for television and offering enough scope for exciting young achievers. "The World title has made my attitude more focussed. Now I have to look at bigger things from here on, at the same time look at the tournaments that have to be won,'' said Advani, in a chat during an invitation doubles snooker event at the Bombay Gymkhana.
Snooker's youngest amateur sensation already has the professional World crown in his sights, looking at it as a long-term goal and is already prepared to work towards a cherished dream, starting with a stint at the London-based International Snooker Academy. Coached by former World number four Arvind Savur for almost a decade at Bangalore, the B.Com student of Jain College made his mentor proud with forceful, ruthless play at the 2003 Worlds, culminating in a 11-6 victory over Saleh Mohammed of Pakistan for the title, becoming India's only World champion in this eventful year.
The newly crowned IBSF World Snooker Champion got his bid for the 'double' off to a flying start with a 3-0 win over England's John Hartley as the first of the group matches got under way in Hyderabad.
Pankaj Advani born on July 24, 1985 in Banglore India.
Already hailed as a `prodigy' by peers for winning the 2002 senior National snooker title at 17, Advani is only justifying the promise displayed in the 2001 World under-21 snooker at Latvia when he finished third. Snooker is a high stakes, high profile sport in the pro ranks, tailored for television and offering enough scope for exciting young achievers. "The World title has made my attitude more focussed. Now I have to look at bigger things from here on, at the same time look at the tournaments that have to be won,'' said Advani, in a chat during an invitation doubles snooker event at the Bombay Gymkhana.
Snooker's youngest amateur sensation already has the professional World crown in his sights, looking at it as a long-term goal and is already prepared to work towards a cherished dream, starting with a stint at the London-based International Snooker Academy. Coached by former World number four Arvind Savur for almost a decade at Bangalore, the B.Com student of Jain College made his mentor proud with forceful, ruthless play at the 2003 Worlds, culminating in a 11-6 victory over Saleh Mohammed of Pakistan for the title, becoming India's only World champion in this eventful year.
The newly crowned IBSF World Snooker Champion got his bid for the 'double' off to a flying start with a 3-0 win over England's John Hartley as the first of the group matches got under way in Hyderabad.
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