Eye Problems Suffered In The Third World

Many eye charities exist to help with eye problems in the Third World that sadly are largely preventable and treatable but often result in the sufferer becoming irreparably blind due to lack of early care and attention when most needed.

Worst Areas For Eye Disease

A very debilitating disease that is common in the Middle East and Africa is trachoma, which is a highly contagious bacterial infection which attacks the eyelids, the cornea and the conjunctiva of the eye. Untreated it causes scarring, ultimately of the cornea which can result in a great or total loss of vision. It is most common in areas of poverty where there is no proper hygiene and clean water. For those who cannot work, they can face destitution and starvation.

Trachoma can be spread by flies or insects carrying secretions of the infection on their legs or bodies, or by direct or indirect contact with fluids from the eye, nose or throat of an infected individual via polluted water or shared towels.

Can Trachoma Be Prevented?
The disease can be halted by prompt treatment and by hygiene lessons to parents and children to prevent further spread of the disease. For example, learning not to share towels if there is an infected sufferer within the family or for a village to build a covered latrine which prevents flies breeding.

Cataracts In The Third World
In other developing countries, many of the older population have severely impaired sight due to untreated cataracts and may be virtually blind as a result. The cataracts may be due to a previous injury to the eye, to diabetes, be an age-related deterioration of the eye or due to exposure to bright sunlight constantly without protective eyewear. (Something field workers may suffer.)
In developed countries, cataracts are routinely operated upon but in rural areas of India and Africa, the elderly often are resigned to losing their sight and an operation on cataracts carried out by a charity can seem to be like an unexpected miracle.

A Parasitic Infection Of The Eye
The Filarial worm is an opportunistic parasite which is very common and said to be one of the most common causes of blindness in the world – known as river blindness. The parasite is a leech which latches on to the eyeball and is transferred by mosquitoes who bite an infected host and then another, passing on the infection. There is a drug to treat the condition but the best prevention is avoiding being bitten by mosquitoes.
Fortunately today, modern medicine and medical research have shown how to prevent such damaging eye diseases and how to treat them if contracted.

Charlotte blogs about eyes, vision and health for prescription glasses online provider DirectSight.

Best Ways To Keep Your Skin Healthy

It is of great relevance to maintain the health of your skin for obvious appearance-related reasons but also for your own well-being. Skin care products are often advertised on television and in many other places and there has pretty much always been a consistent demand for them, evidencing the recognition from people with regard to the importance of a healthy complexion. You may choose to take the opportunity on certain occasions to have a professional facial treatment at a spa but there are also a number of regular practices that can help your skin.

Maintaining calm
Everyone is aware that keeping life free from stress is a near impossibility but there are a number of times when it can be avoided or let go. Managing the level of stress you go through is one of the key factors in maintaining healthy skin, not to mention the effect on your health in an overall sense. Finding the time to shut off from all demands is not always an easy thing but if you can manage to do this at some point during each day then you will benefit yourself considerably. If you do spend time relaxing in the bath then try not to go overboard with how long you spend in there as this can decrease the level of necessary oils in your skin.

Adequate protection from the sun
This is admittedly more of an issue for those who are deemed to be fortunate in living in close proximity to areas that experience a lot of sunshine but protecting your skin from the sun's rays is vital. Among the typical guidelines for sun protection is wearing sun cream that has a high enough factor to protect your specific skin type. In addition to this, finding a place in the shade to sit in is recommended when the sun is at its most powerful in relation to where you are. Hats and other clothing that safeguard against the most harmful rays should also be worn.

Your diet
The food you eat is certainly significant in how your skin looks and feels. An intake of water is often associated with healthier skin and the required amount of hydration is one of the principle elements of the whole process. The first thing that most will think of when beneficial foods are mentioned is fruit and vegetables. Dieticians and nutritionists will advise you against eating excessive amounts of foods high in fat as this is of course detrimental to your overall health, and the same can apply to your skin too.

Ways To Keep Your Skin Healthy

As we age, we begin to understand the importance of taking care of our bodies. The same goes for our skin. To care for our skin means to enhance its healthy appearance.

Sun Isn’t As Healthy As You Think

The biggest thing you can do is protecting yourself from the sun. Think about it-yes your skin is at the mercy of everyday elements, but the most inevitable is the sun. Before you protest, saying you barely have enough time in your morning routine to do your make-up, most moisturizers and foundations carry a small percent of SPF so in one step, you’re done. If you’re going to be outside for an extended period of time, remember to reapply. Do so at least every two hours and consider even more if you’re swimming or perspiring more than normal.

Nix Bad Habits

Smoking takes a large toll both inside your body and out. It causes wrinkles, making you look older than you actually are. Smoking affects blood vessels, restricting blood flow which affects the oxygen and nutrients your skin gets. This bad habit also damages collagen and elastin, leaving your skin feeling saggy and dull instead of firm and youthful.  

Improving your diet is another step you can adopt to help out your skin. A balanced diet of grains, proteins and vegetables are good for your body and help with the appearance of skin. Stress is another manageable factor to get a hold of. Stress can take a toll on the appearance of your skin and cause lack of sleep, which also affects how you look.

Be Kind

A large part of taking care of our skin begins in the bathroom. A step that we almost always fail to complete that leaves our skin in harm’s way is the lack of sunscreen we use. Applying sunscreen or a product with it should be one of the first things we do before walking out the door. When it comes to washing our face, we all have a preference to the temperature we like to use, but should we be using a certain one? It seems to make sense that hotter water will open up pores to get out more dirt and grime, but if it’s too hot, it will only strip skin of its natural oils. Next time, avoid turning the handle all the way and wash your face with warm or lukewarm water instead.

Take the same kind of gentle thinking and apply it to your cleanser. If you are someone that feels they need a strong cleanser to wash, especially if you have trouble with acne, think twice about the strength of the cleanser you are using. Stronger isn’t always better. A mild cleanser will still take care of bacteria and dirt and still leave the essentials that are healthy for your skin.

Steps to Take After Cleansing

What we do after cleansing is just as important as cleansing itself. Reaching for the towel, some of us can admit that we scrub as hard as we can until it’s dry. But all that scrubbing is abrasive to skin and can even rub it dry natural moisture. Think gentle and pat it dry.

Depending on your skin type, it may feel dry after cleansing. Many of us take that as a sign we did a good job cleaning our skin, but we are actually harming it by washing away moisture and nutrients that should stay on our skin. This brings us back to why we don’t always need as strong of a cleanser as we think. Regardless of how mild a cleanser is that we try to use, it’s up to us to restore any moisture our skin needs to be healthy. The best way to do that is to find a moisturizer that matches your skin needs and apply it after cleansing. And of course, it’s an added bonus if you apply one with an SPF.

There are many things that can wreak havoc on our skin that involve more than how we wash it. Take steps to better get control over your daily life and skin routine and you will see how much easier it is to maintain healthy skin, which will leave you feeling great about how you look. 

The article was written by the skin care experts at DorMauri.com.