Dr. Philip Thomas

There are a number of eye conditions that make the use of glasses and eye lenses mandatory for a more comfortable life where your vision is as normal as is medically possible. Poor eyesight and conditions like inward eyelids and others can lead to the prescription of contact lenses and glasses. Contact lenses are delicate optical tools that glide easily over your eyes and need a lot of care. One should also know how to wear them properly. If one does not wear and care for the contact lenses properly, it may lead to a variety of complications. Read on to know how you can take better care of your contact lenses.

Cleanliness: To begin with, keeping the lenses clean is of utmost importance. Since these lenses will go on to the eye and remain there for most part of the day, it is imperative that they should be clean so that no dirt comes to settle on the eye to cause complications and even possible infections in the long run. While the disposable soft contact lenses do not need a whole lot of care as they can be disposed as and when the wearer needs a new pair, the soft lenses are the ones that need regular care so as to avoid vision affecting problems in the long run.

Clean Hands: Before you handle the contact lenses, you must wash and clean your hands thoroughly with a non cosmetic soap that is free of additives like fragrances and artificial perfumes, oils and other lotions. These may get transferred to the lens which will leave you with blurry vision. Dry your hands properly using a lint free towel.

Makeup: If you have to wear makeup, we would suggest doing so after you have safely installed the contact lenses in your eyes. Also, you must remember to remove your lenses before you begin the makeup removal procedure. This is to be done so that you do not get any makeup on to the delicate surface of the lens.

Disinfecting Solution: When you buy your contact lenses, you will also get a disinfecting solution as well as a set of instructions for taking care of your lenses. So ensure that you use the correct disinfecting solution, eye drops as well as the prescribed enzymatic cleaners to keep your lenses clean and free of germs with a light rubbing action. Let the lenses stand in this solution at night too so that the germs cannot travel to the surface.
Never use tap water or your mouth to clean these lenses as the microorganisms found even in distilled water can latch on to the surface. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

1. Drink plenty of water.        
2. Use oil free cosmetic products.        
3. Wash a face twice a day.        
4. Use sunscreen daily.     
5. Make sure that the hands/ towel is clean when you touch your face.    
6. Eat food rich in water, fresh fruits, chicken, boiled fish, whole grains.        
7. Prefer steaming, boiling, grilling methods for cooking over frying.
8. Don’t stress.  
9. Carry oil-absorbing tissues to wipe away oil whenever necessary.       
10. Don't ever go to bed with make-up on.        
11. Avoid smoking and drinking.        
12. Don't use creamy or milk cleansers.         
13. Don't over wash face.        
14. Don’t eat fried and processed foods.        
15. Avoid sugary products.

Tuberculosis is widely known as a disease that affects the lungs. Tuberculosis is an infection caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although most commonly the lungs and bowel are affected, it can affect any organ in the body including the bones and joints .

How and who:

Tubercular bacteria usually enter the body through the airway into lungs or through the gut and spread out to different areas of the body through the blood stream, spine being the most common area. They can stay dormant in the body for many years and start multiplying when the immunity goes down due to any reason. So those with reduced immunity like young kids, old age group, diabetics, those on steroid medication or other immune-suppressive medication are at a high risk of developing tuberculosis of various organs. Patients affected with HIV are also at high risk of developing tubercular infection. But it is not uncommon to see a healthy young person affected with tuberculosis of spine.

Disease manifestations:

Spine is one of the very common structures affected by tuberculosis, leading to significant disability and high risk of paralysis if undetected in the early stages. As the bones in the spine get destroyed by the disease, the spine bends abnormally at the affected level and a deformity develops. There is pus formation at the affected area which can cause compression on the spinal cord and nerves in the spinal canal and lead to paralysis of limbs and loss of bowel and bladder control. Tuberculosis of spine can affect all age groups from infancy to old age.

Spine tuberculosis initially causes pain in the back/neck, which gets worse on movements and while changing posture. Night pains that wake the patient up from sleep is another characteristic feature. Fever, weight loss and loss of appetite are usually associated. Weakness of limb muscles can lead to unstable gait and tendency to fall and the patient usually seeks a support to hold on to while walking.

Diagnosis and treatment:

With MRI being available widely, spinal tuberculosis is being detected at early stages now as compared to X-rays. Most of them can be cured well by anti-tubercular medication (ATT). The medication needs to be taken for a long duration (minimum of 6 months - upto 18 months). Drug resistance is a serious problem needing second line medicines and is more difficult to treat. There are special tests like Gene Xpert available now to detect multiple drug resistant tuberculosis.

In some patients with deformity in spine or those with spinal cord compression causing paralysis, surgery to stabilise the spine and decompress the spinal cord/nerves is required. Surgical treatment in right time can prevent spinal deformity/paralysis and help in faster and better recovery of muscle power in those who have developed paralysis.

So, any persistent back pain needs an evaluation by a Spine physician.