DON'T LET YOUR FEET RUIN YOUR DAY AT THE BEACH

As millions of Americans hit the beach this summer, Head to Toe Healthcare, PLC shares these safety tips for your feet.

Puncture wounds and cuts: Wear shoes to protect your feet from puncture wounds and cuts caused by sea shells, broken glass and other sharp objects. Don’t go in the water if your skin gets cut – bacteria in oceans and lakes can cause infection. To avoid complications from a puncture wound, see a podiatrist for treatment within 24 hours.

Sunburns: Feet get sunburn too. Rare but deadly skin cancers can occur on the foot. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to the tops and bottoms of your feet. 

Burns: Sand, sidewalks and paved surfaces get hot in the summer sun. Wear shoes to protect your soles from getting burned, especially if you have diabetes.

Ankle injuries, arch and heel pain: Walking, jogging and playing sports on soft, uneven surfaces like sand frequently leads to arch pain, heel pain, ankle sprains and other injuries. Athletic shoes provide the heel cushioning and arch support that flip-flops and sandals lack. If injuries occur, use rest, ice, compression and elevation to ease pain and swelling. Any injury that does not resolve within a few days should be examined by a foot and ankle surgeon.

 

Vision Loss is a major contributor to Falls for Older Adults

Many Arizona transplants from colder climates migrated to warmer weather to avoid bone chilling weather, shoveling snow, slippery sidewalks, as well as other hazardous road conditions. However, while Southern Arizona may have less ice and snow, substantially reducing the likelihood of slipping and falling, loss of vision can be a major component to increased falls for older adults.

A study published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science, revealed that peripheral visual field loss is the primary vision component that increases the risk of falls. The article, "Visual Field Loss Increases the Risk of Falls in Older Adults: The Salisbury Eye Evaluation" examined which visual deficits were most closely associated with falls. The study was primarily conducted at John Hopkins School of Medicine's Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, MD. This study found that for each 10 percent loss in visual field, study participants had an 8 percent higher likelihood of falling.

The other visual components tested were visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and stereoacuity. The authors concluded that visual fields were associated with falling risk, while the other components were not relevant. The central vision, which primarily indicates macular health, was not statistically significant. Only the peripheral vision, which indicates health of the retina, the back of the eye, was associated with fall risk.

Dr. Zuraida Zainalabidin states possible symptoms of a patient with a retinal detachment may include stumbling, general clumsiness, often running into the wall, and difficulty walking in a straight line. There are certainly a myriad of other possible causes, but the best way to rule out a retinal detachment is by a dilated eye exam. The Phoenix Suns NBA star Amare Stoudemire was recently lost for the season, due to a partially detached retina that required surgery.

If one experiences 'Floaters and/or Flashes' they should contact an eye care professional right away, as this may indicate an abnormality of the retina. Floaters are tiny clumps of gel or cellular debris within the vitreous, the clear, jellylike fluid that fills the inside cavity of the eye. Flashes are an illusion created in your eye when layers in the retina separate.

These conditions typically start during the earlier stages of a retina hole or tear, and usually worsen with a retinal detachment. A retinal detachment is a medical emergency, and can result in permanent vision loss. If you or anyone you know experience any of these symptoms, seek medical treatment right away.

Retinal detachments can occur at any age, but are more common after 40 years of age. Factors which are more likely to increase the likelihood of a retinal detachment are being extremely nearsighted, a family history, cataract surgery, inflammatory eye conditions, and an eye injury.

 

Decreased Daylight during Winter affecting your driving?

With shorter daylight hours during the winter months, many of us are forced to drive at night. Many Americans experience difficulty driving at night or in the evening hours.

Actual night blindness is atypical. Night blindness can be caused by alcoholism, diseases of the liver, long-term vitamin A deficiency, chronic starvation, and deficient fat absorption. Ocular conditions that may cause night blindness are glaucoma, drug toxicities and some hereditary disorders. A condition that may mimic night blindness is night myopia, which may also reduce night vision. Considerable variability among people exists in retinal sensitivity to light. Additionally, as people age, night vision diminishes.

Studies have shown that as little as two to three hours of bright sunlight exposure can delay the onset of dark adaptation, resulting in a delay of full night vision sensitivity for hours. After 10 consecutive days of sunlight exposure, losses in night vision can be as great as 50% loss in visual acuity, visibility range, and contrast discrimination.

Here are some recommendations to protect your eyes during the day and conserve night vision. When possible, remain inside during the day of night driving. While outside, residents should wear dark sunglasses and a hat with a brim, which blocks a considerable amount of solar radiation. Polarized sunglasses that reduce visible light transmision will help prevent degradation of night vision. However, in some people, it may take days to weeks to recover full night vision.

For sunglasses to be effective, the rays of light need to be focused in the eye. Thus, colored visors or spectacles are not always protective during the day. To best protect night vision, while providing good comfort and contrast, dark sunglasses with a neutral gray tint are recommended during the day. Heavily tinted sunglasses that are too dark, may actually reduce visual acuity, especially on cloudy days. Lighter sunglasses may not fully protect your night vision either. Therefore, optometrists generally recommend using polarized sunglasses on sunny days.

One product that pertains to this article is the Night Driving Glasses by Tag Heuer. First off, these should not be confused with thermal night vision. Thermal night vision is commonly seen in action movies, where a few elite or covert special ops take down a bunch of gangsters or thugs. The Dark Knight, aka Batman also employs thermal night vision, plus some other technology to be developed in the future. These glasses were originally inspired and developed for the internationally renowned 24 Hours of LeMans sports car endurance race. These are the same glasses you see on Formula One racer Sebastien Bourdais and Indianapolis 500 driver Sarah Fisher. Tag Heuer has made these glasses available to the general public. These glasses have been optimized for driving at night, by correcting low-light and short-sightedness situations that oftentimes occurs when driving in the dark. This article should not be substituted for medical advice, as always, seek assistance from a profession eye care specialists.

 

FOOT PAIN RUINING YOUR GOLF SWING?

The barrier to a perfect golf swing could lie in your big toe. Or your heel. Or on the ball of your foot. Dr. Alan Shih, Director of Podiatry Services at Head to Toe Healthcare, PLC says these are the three areas of your feet most likely to cause pain that can ruin your golf swing.

Behind these pain-prone spots can lie stiff joints, stretched-out tissues and even nerve damage. But pain relief is possible and frequently does not require surgery.

According to Dr. Shih, the three most common painful foot conditions that can ruin your golf swing are heel pain, arthritis and pinched nerves.

• Arthritis can cause pain in the joint of your big toe that makes it difficult to follow-through on your golf swing.
• Heel pain typically results from an inflammation of the band of tissue that extends from your heel to the ball of your foot. People with this condition compare the pain to someone jabbing a knife in their heel. Heel pain can make it uncomfortable for golfers to maintain a solid stance during crucial portions of their golf swing.
• Neuromas, are nerves that become thickened, enlarged and painful because they’ve been compressed or irritated. A neuroma in the ball of your foot can cause significant pain as your body transfers its weight from one foot to the other in a golf swing.

Several other painful conditions can also cause instability during your swing. With the treatment options available to your foot and ankle surgeon, a pain-free golf swing is clearly in view.  When your feet aren’t in top condition, your golf swing won’t be either.

 

 

LOVE YOUR EYES-WEAR SUNGLASSES YEAR ROUND

Love is in the air. It’s time to send cards and wishes to those loved and adored.

 

Dr. Zuraida Zainalabidin at Head to Toe Healthcare, PLC encourage residents to give a valentine to your eyes this February – in the form of a pair of sunglasses. The sun’s damaging effects are a concern year round regardless of what the temperature is outside.

 

In addition to visible light, the sun gives off ultraviolet radiation. This radiation is divided into three types: UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C. The earth’s ozone layer absorbs UV-C radiation, leaving sunglasses to protect against UV-A and UV-B rays.

 

Studies indicate that long-term exposure to UV-A and UV-B can contribute to the development of cataracts; retinal problems; benign growths on the eye’s surface; cancer of the eyelids and skin around the eyes; and photokeratitis, a temporary but painful sunburn of the eye’s surface.

 

The sun’s brightness creates a disabling glare that interferes with comfortable vision and the ability to see clearly, says Dr. Zainalabidin.  It causes eyes to squint and to water. This glare occurs on cloudy as well as sunny days

 

The best protection against the sun’s damaging rays is consistent use of sunglasses. Use the following tips when selecting your next pair of sunglasses. For optimum sun protection, the sunglasses should:

w  block out 99-100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation

w  screen out 75-90 percent of visible light (fashion-tinted lenses usually do not meet this level)

w  be perfectly matched in color and free of distortion and imperfection

w  have gray, green, or brown lenses (gray is recommended)

 

Give yourself the gift of healthy vision with a great pair of sunglasses—your eyes will love you for it.