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HEALTH&FITNESS
316
June14
Talking to these four high specialised surgeons has been fascinating – and
especially so for someone like me who tends to concentrate more on the importance
of preventing disease though good nutrition, supplements, sunshine, exercise and
so on. However vital prevention is, and whatever the pitfalls of the pharmaceutical
industry, medical science should be recognised for its brilliant efforts, and for the
life-saving discoveries that it continues to make.
lasers that leave far less scarring, says
Alicia, and better drugs.
“We now have an eye drop that has
a neuro-protective function: it works to
protect the optic nerve. But this is still a
new and therefore slightly controversial
development,” she adds.
More common than glaucoma is
dry
eye syndrome
, estimated to affect up
to 30 percent of middle-aged and older
people – includingmyself, as it happens.
Fortunately, there’s a drug that can
help for this annoying and potentially
damaging condition, which is apparently
caused by an inflammatory condition
of the cornea that causes the eyes to
produce fewer tears.
Rather than merely lubricating the
eye,
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
eye drops
contain a very low dose of an
anti-inflammatory drug. Used twice daily
for three to six months, they stimulate
the eye to eventually return to normal
tear production.
They’ve been around for a while,
according to Alicia. “But they’ve become
more popular of late as we have realised
what the real cause of dry eye is. These
drops work to treat the cause, rather
than just temporarily alleviating the
symptoms.”
I strongly suspect that my own eye
dryness is related to the Lasik surgery
I underwent, and Alicia agrees that this
might well be the case. After a few tests
to establish that I do indeed have dry eye
syndrome, she gives me a prescription
and I walk out withmy first month’s supply.
Dr Lim Khong Hee
Nexus Surgical Associates
#08-06 Mount Elizabeth
Medical Centre
6235 8633 | nexussurgical.sg
Dr Georgette Chan
#11-09 Mount Elizabeth
Medical Centre
6836 5167| georgettechan.com
Dr Dennis Lim
#11-09 Mount Elizabeth
Medical Centre
6836 5167 | dennislim.com.sg
Dr Alicia How
The Eye Surgery Partners
#07-01 Gleneagles
Medical Centre
6479 8887| eyedr.com.sg
Petarneychev | Dreamstime.com