Since the retinal nerves radiate from the cup of the optic nerve (the seat of the blind spot) the loss of retinal function tends to occur in a way that is diagnostic. For example: the group of nerve fibres that tend to be affected first are those that function in arches around the centre of vision. The next group to go are those providing vision in the nasal field (the lateral part of the retina). But it is all too possible for a patient to be unaware of these losses of vision, and because the condition is symptom-free in its early stages and only gradually progressive, diagnosis is often difficult. Read the rest of this entry »
Where cataract is due to abnormal body metabolism, then treatment of the metabolic disorder can sometimes prevent development of cataract, or even reverse cataract where cataract has begun. Diabetes mellitus is a good example of this. Otherwise metabolic cataract can be treated by conventional methods. It should be said at once that in most countries of the world eye-drops and medicines of ill-founded clinical value, and rarely backed by any sound medical trials, are still available. Read the rest of this entry »
Basically, good and bad characteristics, healthy and unhealthy trends, are divided into dominant and recessive. Those that are dominant are handed down and show in the offspring; those that are recessive are handed down but do not show. Further, dominance and recession are often linked to the sex of the individual. Thus we talk about traits that are ‘dominant in females’, ‘dominant in males’, ‘recessive in females’, and ‘recessive in males’.
Suppose, for example, that both parents had a recessive trait `A’. If they had nine children the chances are that only three of them would be marked by ‘A’. But if they had only two children, the chances of either of their offspring showing trait ‘A’ are small indeed, whether the trait is for weak legs or musical genius. But if both parents had dominants of a certain trait, this would almost certainly come out in the offspring. Read the rest of this entry »
A very common phenomenon of imperfect eye sight is that one, already mentioned, which is known as muscae volitantes, or flying flies. These eye floating specks are usually dark or black, but sometimes appear as white bubbles, and in rare cases may assume all the colors of the rainbow. They move somewhat rapidly, usually in curving lines, before the eyes, and always appear to be just beyond the point of fixation. If one tries to look at them directly, they seem to move a little farther away. Hence their name. Read the rest of this entry »
In another case that came to my attention, a man returning from Europe was looking at some white clouds one day when eye floating specks appeared before his eyes. He consulted the ship’s doctor, who told him that the symptom was very serious and might be the forerunner of blindness. It might also indicate incipient insanity, as well as other nervous or organic diseases. He was advised to consult his family physician and an eye specialist as soon as he landed, which he did. Read the rest of this entry »
