Technocrat Myopia: a Cuban Problem – Havana Times.org

Posted on October 9, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

Haroldo Dilla Alfonso*

Ricardo Torres Perez who heads the Cuban economy team at CEEC. Photo: Heriberto González Brito/Trabajadores

HAVANA TIMES — Some days ago, the Cuban weekly newspaper Trabajadores (“Workers”) published an interesting interview (in Spanish) with Ricardo Torres, a young scholar working at the University of Havana’s Cuban Economy Studies Center who has had a short but praiseworthy career.

The economist affirms that Cuba requires “major surgery”, an intensification of the reforms program, and goes on to mention a number of handicaps and opportunities in this connection. He concludes we’re going through bad times but that we could be doing a whole lot better, an opinion I basically agree with.

Since I am not an economist, I will let readers enjoy Torres’ interesting interview and focus on a number of aspects that point to a serious problem faced by Cuban society: public speeches that are trimmed and edited to the point of becoming unrecognizable or, at least, senseless.

Cuba’s incipient public sphere suffers from schizophrenia. Save for active opponents of the government – that is to say, individuals and groups that aspire to bring about a change in government and express this openly – the existing spectrum of critics, in order to survive, is forced to say something different, and sometimes contrary, to what they want to say.

This is not because the opposition is more intelligent, but because it has already crossed the line, beyond which one invariably runs into the police.

It is a situation characteristic of authoritarian systems, which draw very clear limits for public expression. This comes at a high cost for society; as it hinders the maturation of the ideologies that will be called on to take Cuba’s future political stage.

An ideology is not simply a corpus of more or less interconnected ideas. It is also an interpretation of society, a way of interacting with the subjects the ideology is aimed at. If this last element is missing – that is to say, if there no public to address – political ideologies do not mature.

This is the situation all Cuban political actors, be they members of the opposition or critics of the system, currently face. It is also the lot of the government which, devoid of any serious competitors, shamelessly puts its shoddy doctrines on display.

The same holds for economists who have the boldness to call for “major surgery”, as Torres does.

To claim that the problem is simply a question of excessive social spending strikes me (at the very least) as something of an unkind statement, particularly when we are dealing with an impoverished and aging population that barely manages to get by on the crumbs they receive as subsidies.

For, even though they know that economic systems invariably have social and political correlates, they must remain silent on those issues.

Not because they are technocrats, per se (they are a bit wiser than that), or supporters of the kind of measures implemented by the International Monetary Fund (they are more sensible than that), but because, in Cuba, they are only authorized to debate about the economy, a debate where social issues figures as collateral damage and the political arena is a mine-field.

It comes as no surprise, then, that an economist of this stature practically glosses over Cuba’s social problems, limiting himself to saying that salaries aren’t enough to live on and that one of the most serious problems faced by the country’s economy is none other than the “disproportionately large spending on social and personal services, from the point of view of both the structure of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and that of workforce.”

That is to say, too much is being spent on the social wellbeing of Cubans.

In a sense, this is true, at least statistically, against the backdrop of a flimsy GDP that isn’t growing. And its impact is exacerbated because such spending is handled with a degree of inefficiency that has already been emphasized by more than one international expert.

However, to claim that the problem is simply a question of excessive spending strikes me (at the very least) as something of an unkind statement, particularly when we are dealing with an impoverished and aging population that barely manages to get by on the crumbs they receive as subsidies.

The majority of Cubans live in overcrowded or ramshackle houses, and this because no social policy aimed at constructing homes for them exists. If the situation isn’t more serious, this is because the population is actually decreasing.

Millions of Cubans are malnourished, have teeth taken out without anesthesia, cannot get their hands on the medication they need, are admitted into hospitals without running water, where food worthy of a Nigerian prison is served, and have children who go to squalid schools with badly-paid teachers.

Thousands of Cuban medical professionals are willing to work deep in the Amazons, not in the manner of Arturo Covas, not to challenge social conventions, but to earn 1,500 dollars a month.

I don’t think they would understand what Torres means with his comments on social overspending. I think, rather, that they are feeling the brutal onslaught of just the opposite, a reduction in social spending that has gone from around 20 % (in 2005) to a bit more than 5 % (2013).

All of this could well have been a mere footnote, were it not for the fact that Torres describes the socio-political panorama surrounding the reform process with startling naivety.

Therefore, the discussion about the future Torres proposes not only has to be broad in terms of participants – no Cuban, living on the island or abroad, should be excluded from the debate against their will – but also in terms of its agenda.

According to him, the reform process “requires a coherent strategic program, to be conceived and implemented on the basis of the active participation of the different actors of our society: the government, citizens, the productive sector, regions, communities, workers and intellectuals (…) This plurality can produce great ideas and the consensus we need to successfully trace Cuba’s path.”

Though well-intentioned, this rhetoric doesn’t help us much. First of all, because what Torres calls “Cuba’s path” does not exist. There are many paths: some are easier to tread than others and, of course, lead to different places.

Unless we are willing to swallow the cocktail of conservative nationalism and pro-market technocratic administration and accept it as a political doxa, we would have to concede that, today, the spaces for consensus are less numerous than those for conflict.

That social actor which Torres calls the “productive sector” – a shameful euphemism used to designate business managers in the process of becoming a national bourgeoisie – will only agree with workers and consumers on one point: that the economy needs to work. But these actors are not likely to see eye to eye when it is a question of deciding what to do with the surplus generated by that working economy.

This is why it is reasonable to assume – and unjustifiable to omit – that these workers, pensioners, consumers, students and others must be furnished with enough rights (of assembly and association, to demonstrate and strike) to confront the rigors of the consensus that Torres considers ought to reduce social spending.

Without the right to protest, without independent representation with which to negotiate, the “strategic program” Torres calls for will be part and parcel of the system of authoritarian domination and the expropriation of rights that the better part of Cuban society endures today. The difference will be that such domination, which is today secured through the political and bureaucratic apparatus, will rely on the inestimable help of the market.

The debate must address the political changes that are needed to ensure that the country’s economic recovery does not become a gangster-like brawl, to the detriment of the social rights of the majority. It would be desirable for Cuban society to arrive at an agreement over some of the basic aspects of the structure of the reform, but it cannot do so within the current political context.

We cannot continue to insist on monolithic unity (even if presented with a few pluralist streaks) or on a consensus founded on the needs of authoritarian governability. We cannot continue to insist on controlled debate or its inevitable corollary: the repression of the nonconformists.

There are many reasons for this. One of them is that an authoritarian regime that curtails freedom of opinion and bridles intellectual work places talented economists such as Torres at the service of the same type of restructuring we have long condemned as technocratic and neo-liberal.
—–
(*) A Havana Times translation of the original published in Spanish by Cubaencuentro.com.

Myopia | BMT Groups of Singapore

Posted on October 4, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

Myopia is also known as near-sightedness or short-sightedness. By its very name, it is the condition where the eye sees poorly from afar, but near vision remains clear. Like those who are farsighted, people with myopia squint in an effort to improve the sharpness of the image.

In all cases, contact lenses can be used to correct distorted vision, especially in astigmatism, where one can use toric lenses, and in myopia, where contact lenses allow the perception of a normal image when it is smaller behind near-sighted glasses. However, the use of contact lenses– and eyeglasses for that matter– does not cure the eye defect. To reiterate, it merely corrects distorted vision to enable one to see clearly, but the eye defect remains.

Eye contacts are the best optical correction because they allow the perception of a normal image as compared to the smaller image behind near-sighted glasses. One must remember, though, that spectacles and contact lenses correct the way light enters the eyes, but they do not cure myopia. In fact, there is currently no proven treatment that cures myopia.

Wearing glasses can be eliminated for medium or low myopia by instead resorting to laser surgery or fitting contact lenses inside the eye. These procedures do not, however, change the nature of the myopic eye and do not prevent the progression of myopia. This is why it is not suggested to resort to such measures before the vision is stable, usually after 23-24 years of age.

Myopia In Asian Countries Health And Social Care Essay – UK Essays

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

Vision results from entrance of light into the eye and the interpretation of this stimulus by the brain. For a normal eye, light is focused to a spot on the retina. This message would then be sent to the brain to be interpreted as a message. Visual acuity is defined as the clarity or sharpness of vision, which is the ability of the eye to see and distinguish fine details. [1].

The cornea is the most powerful refracting surface of the optical system of the eye, accounting for two-thirds of the eye’s focusing power. Production of a sharp image at the retinal receptors requires corneal transparency and appropriate refractive power. The refractive power of the cornea depends on its curvature and the difference in refractive indexes between it and air [9]. Refractive errors occur when the curve of the cornea is irregularly shaped (too steep or too flat). When the cornea is of normal shape and curvature, it bends, or refracts, light on the retina with precision. However, when the curve of the cornea is irregularly shaped, the cornea bends light imperfectly on the retina. [15]

When the cornea is curved too much, or if the eye is too long, faraway objects will appear blurry because they are focused in front of the retina. This is called myopia, or nearsightedness. Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is the opposite of myopia. Distant objects are clear, and close-up objects appear blurry. With hyperopia, images focus on a point beyond the retina. Hyperopia results from an eye that is too short. Astigmatism is a condition in which the uneven curvature of the cornea blurs and distorts both distant and near objects. A normal cornea is round, with even curves from side to side and top to bottom. With astigmatism, the cornea is curved more in one direction than in another. This causes light rays to have more than one focal point and focus on two separate areas of the retina, distorting the visual image.[15]

Measurement of corneal curvature/power can be performed with a variety of instruments, most commonly a keratometer, IOLMaster, or corneal topography device. Corneal curvature is usually used for IOL calculations and corneal refractive surgery. It is also helpful for contact lens fitting and detecting irregular astigmatism. [5]

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between corneal curvature and degree of refractive error among emmetropic and myopic young population in Malaysia and to determine the standard value of corneal curvature of young population.

1.2 Research question

Question 1:

Does corneal curvature vary significantly with different state of refractive error?

Question 2:

What are the range of readings of corneal curvature of emmetropic and myopic young subjects?

Question 3:

Is there any different between horizontal and vertical curvature of the cornea?

1.3 Objectives of the study

1.3.1 General objective

The general objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between corneal curvature and refractive status among emmetropic and myopic young patients in IIUM Kuantan Campus.

1.3.2 Specific objectives

To determine whether corneal curvature varies significantly with refractive error.

To compare the readings of corneal curvature between emmetropic and myopic young subjects.

To identify the normal range of corneal curvature for emmetropic and myopic young subjects.

To identify whether there is any different between horizontal and vertical curvature of the cornea.

To investigate the role of corneal curvature in refractive state among Malaysian population.

Hypothesis of the study

There is no significant relationship between corneal curvature and refractive status.

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Prevalence of myopia in Asian countries

National Eye Survey done in Malaysia [2,3] found the prevalence of visual impairment was 2.7%. The prevalence was higher in rural areas (2.9%) as compared to urban areas (2.5%). The prevalence of visual impairment in rural population in Selangor has been reported to vary from 5.6% to 18.9% in which they found that among the patients attending the Eye Clinic at University Malaya Medical Centre, the most common cause of visual impairment in children was refractive errors, whereas in elderly patient visual impairment is due to cataract, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.[4]

Myopia is a common cause for visual impairment among young population in Asia. Estimates of the proportion of myopia in the young population in Asia ranged from 30% to 65% (Saw et al. 1996; Chow et al. 1990), and the prevalence was found to be greater among Chinese people (Wensor et al. 1999; Sperduto et al. 1983). In Malaysia, the prevalence of myopia found among Malay, Chinese and Indian schoolchildren was 47%, 20% and 19.4% respectively (Garner et al.1990; Chung et al. 1995; Saadah et al. 2002). With the increasing rates of myopia, orthokeratology and refractive surgery such as LASIK, has become quite popular in Asia. When undertaking such procedures to correct myopia, corneal curvature is an important consideration in order to prevent the cornea from becoming too flat after the treatment.[6]

2.2 The importance of corneal curvature

Corneal curvature is usually used for IOL calculations and corneal refractive surgery. It is also helpful for contact lens fitting and detecting irregular astigmatism (Friedman, 2009). Measurements of central and peripheral corneal curvature are useful for diagnosing and monitoring corneal conditions such as keratoconus and for monitoring corneal shape following ocular surgery6–10 or refractive procedures such as orthokeratology.[13]

Liu Z., Pflugfelder SC, (2000) studied on the effects of long-term contact lens wear on corneal thickness, curvature, and surface regularity. They found that the corneal curvature, maximum keratometry (Max K) and minimum keratometry (Min K) readings, were significantly steeper in eyes wearing contact lenses than normal eyes (P < 0.01 for Max K and Min K measured by both instruments).

In highlighting the importance of corneal curvature in IOL calculations, Schena LB (2008) cited from Dr. Majmudar, in patients who have not undergone previous surgery, the value at the center of the cornea is roughly the same as the value at 3.2 millimeters (based on keratometer measurements). However, patients who have undergone LASIK or PRK can have altered corneas, and the value at the central cornea, which is the goal of measurement, may be very different from that at 3.2 millimeters. Consequently, if examiners just rely on the topography, they may be off, and for every 1 diopter off in measuring the corneal curvature, a roughly 1 diopter miscalculation will result for the patient’s refractive outcome.[11]

Besides that, keratometry plays a critical role in the accuracy of IOL power calculation by detecting and measuring astigmatism by determining the steepest and flattest meridians of the corneal surface. [16]

Keratometry plays a critical role in the accuracy of IOL power calculation, detecting and measuring astigmatism by determining the steepest and flattest meridians of the corneal surface. Keratometry plays a critical role in the accuracy of IOL power calculation, detecting and measuring astigmatism by determining the steepest and flattest meridians of the corneal surface. Keratometry plays a critical role in the accuracy of IOL power calculation, detecting and measuring astigmatism by determining the steepest and flattest meridians of the corneal surface. Keratometry plays a critical role in the accuracy of IOL power calculation, detecting and measuring astigmatism by determining the steepest and flattest meridians of the corneal surface. Dr. Majmudar explained that keratometers measure the curvature of the anterior surface about 3.2 mm from the center of the cornea. “In patients who have not undergone previous surgery, the value at the center of the cornea is roughly the same as the value at 3.2 millimeters,” he said. “However, patients who have undergone LASIK or PRK can have altered corneas, and the value at the central cornea, which is the goal of measurement, may be very different from that at 3.2 millimeters. Consequently, if you just rely on the topography, you may be off, and for every 1 diopter you are off in measuring the corneal curvature, a roughly 1 diopter miscalculation will result for the patient’s refractive outcome.”Dr. Majmudar explained that keratometers measure the curvature of the anterior surface about 3.2 mm from the center of the cornea. “In patients who have not undergone previous surgery, the value at the center of the cornea is roughly the same as the value at 3.2 millimeters,” he said. “However, patients who have undergone LASIK or PRK can have altered corneas, and the value at the central cornea, which is the goal of measurement, may be very different from that at 3.2 millimeters. Consequently, if you just rely on the topography, you may be off, and for every 1 diopter you are off in measuring the corneal curvature, a roughly 1 diopter miscalculation will result for the patient’s refractive outcome.”Dr. Majmudar explained that keratometers measure the curvature of the anterior surface about 3.2 mm from the center of the cornea. “In patients who have not undergone previous surgery, the value at the center of the cornea is roughly the same as the value at 3.2 millimeters,” he said. “However, patients who have undergone LASIK or PRK can have altered corneas, and the value at the central cornea, which is the goal of measurement, may be very different from that at 3.2 millimeters. Consequently, if you just rely on the topography, you may be off, and for every 1 diopter you are off in measuring the corneal curvature, a roughly 1 diopter miscalculation will result for the patient’s refractive outcome.”Dr. Majmudar explained that keratometers measure the curvature of the anterior surface about 3.2 mm from the center of the cornea. “In patients who have not undergone previous surgery, the value at the center of the cornea is roughly the same as the value at 3.2 millimeters,” he said. “However, patients who have undergone LASIK or PRK can have altered corneas, and the value at the central cornea, which is the goal of measurement, may be very different from that at 3.2 millimeters. Consequently, if you just rely on the topography, you may be off, and for every 1 diopter you are off in measuring the corneal curvature, a roughly 1 diopter miscalculation will result for the patient’s refractive outcome.”Dr. Majmudar explained that keratometers measure the curvature of the anterior surface about 3.2 mm from the center of the cornea. “In patients who have not undergone previous surgery, the value at the center of the cornea is roughly the same as the value at 3.2 millimeters,” he said. “However, patients who have undergone LASIK or PRK can have altered corneas, and the value at the central cornea, which is the goal of measurement, may be very different from that at 3.2 millimeters. Consequently, if you just rely on the topography, you may be off, and for every 1 diopter you are off in measuring the corneal curvature, a roughly 1 diopter miscalculation will result for the patient’s refractive outcome.”Top of Form

Bariah et al. (2009) suggested that every demographic has a different average and range of corneal curvature values and its relationship to the degree of myopia among normal population.

2.3 Corneal curvature in hyperope, emmetrope and myope

In research by Bariah et al. (2009), results from keratometer measurement indicated that the mean of corneal curvature for the all myopic young subjects was 7.74 ± 0.52 mm, with 7.87 ± 0.28 mm for Chinese subjects and 7.60 ± 0.66 mm for Malays.

In study by Mainstone JC et al (2010), the correlation between corneal radius of curvature and spherical equivalent refractive error was not statistically significant (r2 = 0.038, p =0.2609). A previously study by Carney LG et al. showed that there is a tendency for the cornea to flatten less rapidly in the periphery with increasing myopia. This suggests that there are corneal shape changes that occur in myopic eyes, perhaps as a result of abnormal ocular growth, that are not seen in hyperopic eyes because a different mechanism of refractive error development operates in this latter group. However, a research by Bariah et al (2009) with mean refractive error in spherical equivalent was –3.50 ± 2.10 DS, they found that there is poor correlations between myopic refractive error and corneal curvature (r = 0.246, p > 0.05).

On the other hand, a recent study by Iyamu E et al. (2010) on a Nigerian population found that there was a significant positive correlation between corneal curvature and spherical equivalent refraction. ANOVA showed that the difference in mean corneal curvature across the refractive status groups was statistically significant (F = 27.9, df = 2, 67, p < 0.0001). Post hoc test with Fisher’s LSD showed that myopes had steeper corneas than the other two groups (steeper by 0.27 mm than that of hyperopes, and 0.28 mm than that of emmetropes). The linear regression model is represented by: CRC = 7.853 + 0.069SER. From the equation it can be predicted that for every 1.00D increase in myopia, the cornea is steepened by approximately 0.07 mm.

2.4 Measuring corneal curvature using Pentacam®

The Pentacam has become a popular clinical device for evaluating the anterior segment of the eye since its launch in 2004. It contains a Scheimpflug camera that rotates through 360 degrees and captures 25 or 50 Scheimpflug slit images within two seconds. Each image shows a cross-section of the cornea and the anterior segment. The images contain 500 data points and up to 25,000 points (50 slits ¥ 500 data points) are measured to various parameters and to construct a three-dimensional cornea. The Pentacam is capable of measuring topographic corneal thickness, anterior and posterior corneal topography, anterior chamber depth and angle and corneal aberrations. It also provides parameters such as corneal volume and keratometric power difference, which offer new and technical analyses of the cornea, respectively.[13]

For historical reasons, most Placido topographers and keratometers use the refractive index of 1.3375 for the refractive power of the cornea. This refractive index is actually incorrect even for the untreated eye (n~1,332) and assumes a constant ratio between the anterior and posterior curvature of the cornea. As many IOL power calculation formulas use the incorrect ‘K-reading’ directly an empirical correction is needed in the end to adjust the correct IOL power in these formulas even in normal cases. [12]

In a study by Chen D. et al, the Pentacam system was shown to be highly reliable in the Sim K measurements, at both the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces (Cronbach’s alpha test, α ≥ 0.990; intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC ≥ 0.972).

The Orbscan is another commonly used corneal topographer. It is based on a hybrid system incorporating both the Placido disc and scanning slit principles. Similar to the Pentacam, the Orbscan is non-invasive, simple to use and quick, however, previous studies found the Orbscan to have questionable performance in topographic pachymetry and in the evaluation of anterior21 and posterior corneal curvatures.[14]

CHAPTER 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS

Study area

Location of study is at Clinic of Optometry International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan.

3.2 Study design

The study is an experimental case-control study. The parameters for the collected data will be performed on both eyes. Data will be collected from each subject on a single visit.

3.3 Subject of the study

3.3.1 Sampling of the study

Sampling of the study is convenient sampling. Subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria for the study are invited to participate in the study.

Sample size

The sample size will be based on the study by Bariah et al (2009) “Corneal Thickness and Curvature of One Sample of Young Myopic Population in Malaysia” where the subjects consisted of 84 myopic university. Should cite the latest paper with groups comparison “Ocular Dimensions of Young Malays in Malaysia” (Bariah Mohd-Ali, and Muhammad Afzam Shah Abdul-Rahim, and Zainora Mohammed, and Norhani Mohidin, (2011) Ocular dimensions of young Malays in Malaysia. Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia, 9 (1). pp. 35-39. ISSN 1675-8161.

On the sample size calculation, refer to relevant previous paper and enter the respective values (mean, standard deviation etc.) in this website:

http://www.stat.ubc.ca/~rollin/stats/ssize/n2.html

Sample of the study

Sample of the study comprised of groups of emmetropic and myopic young subjects.

Subject’s inclusion criteria

Age between 20 to 26 years old.

VA at distance 6/6 or better.

VA at near N5 at 33 cm or better.

Refractive power between +0.50 DS to -0.50 DS and ≥ – 2.00 DS

Non-contact lens wearer. Soft contact lens wearer less than 5 years are permitted provided lenses were not worn on the day of testing

Good ocular health tested with slit lamp and fundus examination.

Good general health taken from self-report.

Subject’s exclusion criteria

Rigid contact lens wearer

History of corneal abnormality, refractive surgery or orthokeratology treatment.

3.4 Study tools and procedure

Within study sites, clinical examinations are generally performed at one location (IIUM Optometry clinic). Before clinical eyes examination is performed on the participant, they will be asked for a complete personal and family general health and eye health history. Later, participants underwent an extensive and standardized examination procedure, which included visual acuity (VA) testing, refraction and a detailed ocular slit lamp and fundus examination

The visual Acuity (VA) will be measured using a Snellen chart at 6m. Measurement of refractive status will be conducted using subjective refraction with cross cylinder. Subjects were categorized into emmetropia, hyperopia and myopia using the spherical equivalent refraction. Categorization was done based on: Emmetropia ≤± 0.50DS and Myopia ≥ 2.00DS. Next, measurement of corneal curvature will be taken using Pentacam (Oculus, Inc., Germany). Average corneal curvature (AVK) was obtained by the average of the horizontal and vertical corneal curvature. Finally, the external eye and anterior segment (eyelid, conjunctiva, cornea, iris, and pupil) will be examined with slit lamp, and followed by examination of media and fundus using indirect opthmoscopy and fundus camera.

3.5 Data analysis

The raw data are keyed in and organized using statistical software SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) version 17.0. The data will be analyzed using the same software. Statistical analyses being employed are:

Normality test on each data set using Histogram.

significant level: 0.05 for 95% CI

Descriptive analysis (mean, standard deviation, median and frequency).

One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to compare the mean corneal radius of curvature across the refractive status groups

The relationships among parameters will be tested using Pearson’s correlation and linear regression analysis.

3.6 Ethical consideration

Ethical approval will be acquired from the ethical committee of Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Participation in this study is on a voluntary basis and participants will be asked to sign the consent form if they agree to participate in this study.

A written consent will be acquired prior to data collection (Appendix B). In this consent form, candidates will be informed that they will act as ‘subject’ in this study. Participants will be given explanation on the procedures involved in this study before data collection is performed.The procedure is considered safe because it is non-invasive. Moreover, the participants’ data is confidential to public. Any question from the subject will be answered accordingly. Participants may also withdraw from this study at any time.

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El Borak's Myopia: Jesus owns zombie radio

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

So anyway, tonight I broke open the cardboard box in my basement marked “Zombie Radio.” There’s not actually a zombie in it, but there is an old BayGen Freeplay, a Y2K-era AM/FM/SW crank-for-power radio. I like to test it every few years, just to see if it needs to be replaced. Apparently it does, but that bad news is not the only news.

The Zombie Radio covers all the FM dial, which tonight seems to be 15 or more stations chronicling the Cowboys’ felonious assault of the Giants, plus several incarnations of NPR presenting the harpistry of the neglected lesbians of Croatia or some such. The AM dial has died wholly, thus necessitating the replacement of this radio as soon as I sell a few more reloading dies at 3x what I bought them for. So that’s pretty much a done deal.

But it was the shortwave dial that really amused me tonight. It’s not that all the ministries on shortwave radio are correct, or scriptural, or even legitimate. They’re not. But it is interesting that just about all that I found on shortwave radio was Christian radio. Some of it was good, some of it – like the Oral Roberts* ministry and the White-people-are-the-real Jews – less so. But it was interesting that just about the only people using shortwave are promoting some version of the gospel.

I’m not sure if that means Christians are behind the times**. Or, if the future turns out to be something like the end of the world and the happy go lucky days that follow,*** it just might mean that they are in position to become the new mainstream media.

Of course, that means that all right-thinking people will need to hate them. As a matter of principle, of course.

* I don’t know if that old dude is still alive, but I think it would have been totally sweet if, the last time he was raising money and threatened that God might “call him home” if his viewers didn’t cough up enough FRNs, he had missed the target and dropped dead on the air. That would have been a pretty good witness, IMO.** Not if there’s anything wrong with that.
*** aka Lucifer’s Hammer.

Debunking the Lies, Hubris, and Myopia In The March To War

Posted on September 4, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

On August 31, with the nation eking out the final hours of summer, President Obama took to the podium and, shockingly, did not announce that he was going to continue in the trend of the Imperial Presidency, wherein the Executive branch, in the words of Chris Hedges, “abrogates to itself the right to declare war, which is, of course, traditionally the role of Congress.” Rather, while maintaining that he believes he has the right to act without congressional approval, Obama announced that he would allow Congress to have a voice. His speech was also a direct pitch to the American people to win support for military intervention in Syria. While only 20% of the American people thought the US should take action in Syria when Obama spoke, that number was up from only 9% last week, indicating that while the march to war may have stumbled, it continues forward.

However, let’s be clear, the United States is not on a humanitarian mission. Neither is it taking sides in a Syrian civil war. As horrific a dictator as Assad is, some of the rebel forces have direct links to Al-Qaeda and so are not so likely to advance US interests in the region were they to topple Assad. With that in mind, we will take a detailed look at the lies, hubris, and lack of vision in Obama’s Syria deception speech of August 31 in this special expanded edition of Acronym TV.

President Obama’s August 31 speech:

“Good afternoon, everybody. Ten days ago, the world watched in horror as men, women and children were massacred in Syria in the worst chemical weapons attack of the 21st century. Yesterday the United States presented a powerful case that the Syrian government was responsible for this attack on its own people.

Our intelligence shows the Assad regime and its forces preparing to use chemical weapons, launching rockets in the highly populated suburbs of Damascus, and acknowledging that a chemical weapons attack took place. And all of this corroborates what the world can plainly see — hospitals overflowing with victims; terrible images of the dead. All told, well over 1,000 people were murdered. Several hundred of them were children — young girls and boys gassed to death by their own government.”

While the United States has presented a powerful case, to borrow the phrase from President Obama, that the Syrian government is responsible for gassing their own people to death, the power in its case does not lie in truth and transparency, but in arm-twisting, deceit and obfuscation. The administration also stands at the ready to flout international law in its open disregard for UN authorization for force and the US constitution, for Obama, while prepared to give congress a voice, is also prepared to wage war on his own.

For everything you think you know about Syria, know this there is only one indisputable fact, according to William Polk, a long time foreign policy consultant who served in multiple Presidential administrations and as a member of the Policy Planning Council, was “cleared” for all the information the US Government had on weapons of mass destruction, including poison gas, and special intelligence. That one single indisputable fact is this:

On Wednesday, August 21 canisters of gas opened in several suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus and within a short time approximately a thousand people were dead.

That, on September 3, 2013, is the only indisputable fact we know.

With so little known about the chemical attack in Syria on August 21st, one credible report from interviews on the ground with rebels in the neighborhood where the deaths on August 21 took place points to the Saudis, not the Assad regime, as being responsible for the chemical weapons. In other words, the people who have the most to gain from the U.S. bringing all of its military might to bear on toppling the Assad regime told a reporter on the ground an account that is antithetical to the thesis, as preemptively put forth by John Kerry, that there is no doubt that Assad is behind the attacks.

The report comes from the Mint Press News, and while the outlet acknowledges that some “information in their article could not be independently verified” and promises updates as they became available, it is, in the words of Jim Naureckas writing at Fairness and Accuracy in reporting “those who are most certain about matters of which they clearly lack firsthand knowledge who should make us most skeptical.” The Mint Press News account is co-authored by Yahya Ababneh, a Jordanian freelancer and journalism grad student–who “spoke directly with the rebels, their family members, victims of the chemical weapons attacks and local residents” and Dale Gavlak, is a longtime Associated Press Mideast stringer who has also done work for NPR and the BBC. The recipients of the chemical weapons are said to be Jabhat al-Nusra, an Al-Qaeda-linked rebel faction that was caught possessing sarin nerve gas in Turkey, according to Turkish press reports in July. (OE Watch,7/13). Turkey, Obama will remind us, is one of our friends in the region, and one the many reasons we should use military force in Syria:

{ from President Obama speech August 31 }

This attack is an assault on human dignity. It also presents a serious danger to our national security. It risks making a mockery of the global prohibition on the use of chemical weapons. It endangers our friends and our partners along Syria’s borders, including Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq. It could lead to escalating use of chemical weapons, or their proliferation to terrorist groups who would do our people harm.

In a world with many dangers, this menace must be confronted.

Now, after careful deliberation, I have decided that the United States should take military action against Syrian regime targets. This would not be an open-ended intervention. We would not put boots on the ground. Instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. But I’m confident we can hold the Assad regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons, deter this kind of behavior, and degrade their capacity to carry it out.

Again, while I can agree with Obama that the attack was an assault on human dignity, I fail to see how sending in missiles will do anything but cause further assaults on human dignity, with the exception being that, as experience teaches us, once an Empire like the United States takes step in one direction, there is no going back, and a mission creep is likely to set in and we will be militarily involved in the region for the forseable future.

With regard to the theory that Syria’s actions are a threat to our national security, Congressman Alan Grayson had the following to say:

“that somehow one country’s actions will affect another country, and another country, and another country. It’s just the “domino argument” [from the Vietnam War] again. We’ll call it the “bomb-ino argument” here. It’s just not logical. It doesn’t make any sense.

Also worth considering here: the United States is doing a fine job all on its own of making a mockery of the so called global prohibition on the use of chemical weapons. Whether it be agent orange in Vietnam, our assistance with Saddam Hussein using them against Iran in the Iran-Iraq war the 1980’s, our – as the Pentagon has admitted, our own use of White Phosphorus in Fallujah in 2005 and our support for the Israeli government who has used White Phosphorus in Gaza in 2008.

On the Israel connection to all of this, consider that, as Max Blumenthal reports, U.S. intelligence gathering in Syria rely on Israeli intelligence assessments and that the Israelis supplied the communications intercepted from Syrian officials.

On August 26, U.S. Security advisor Susan Rice coordinated meetings in Washington with Benjamin Netanyahu’s National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror. The agenda, as reported by Max Bloomenthal, “at least from the perspective of the meeting’s participants, was to plan for the aftermath of a US strike on Syria that was already inevitable.

The following day, Vice President Joseph Biden became the highest level US official to blame Assad for Ghouta, declaring, “There is no doubt who is responsible for this heinous use of chemical weapons in Syria: The Syrian regime.” Accept that, just as was the case with the run up to the war in Iraq, the intelligence turned out to be, in the words of the Associated Press, no “slam dunk”.

And, as David Swanson points out in his article Caveman Credibility And It’s Costs:

“Not only is President Obama’s proposal guaranteed to make things worse, but it risks making things dramatically worse, with threats of retaliation now coming from Syria, Iran, and Russia. The U.S. media is already describing the proposed missile strikes as “retaliatory,” even though the United States hasn’t been attacked. Imagine what the pressure will be in Washington to actually retaliate if violence leads, as it so often does, to more violence. Imagine the enthusiasm for a broader war, in Washington and Jerusalem, if Iran retaliates. Risking a major war, no matter how slim you think the chance is, ought to be done only for some incredibly important reason.

The White House doesn’t have one.”

So why then would the U.S. insist on UN inspectors and then, as soon as the Syrian government granted access, attempt to pull the inspectors back?

President Obama’s August 31 speech:

Now, after careful deliberation, I have decided that the United States should take military action against Syrian regime targets. This would not be an open-ended intervention. We would not put boots on the ground. Instead, our action would be designed to be limited in duration and scope. But I’m confident we can hold the Assad regime accountable for their use of chemical weapons, deter this kind of behavior, and degrade their capacity to carry it out.

Our military has positioned assets in the region. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs has informed me that we are prepared to strike whenever we choose. Moreover, the Chairman has indicated to me that our capacity to execute this mission is not time-sensitive; it will be effective tomorrow, or next week, or one month from now. And I’m prepared to give that order. (…) I’m confident in the case our government has made without waiting for U.N. inspectors. I’m comfortable going forward without the approval of a United Nations Security Council that, so far, has been completely paralyzed and unwilling to hold Assad accountable. As a consequence, many people have advised against taking this decision to Congress, and undoubtedly, they were impacted by what we saw happen in the United Kingdom this week when the Parliament of our closest ally failed to pass a resolution with a similar goal, even as the Prime Minister supported taking action.

Yet, while I believe I have the authority to carry out this military action without specific congressional authorization, I know that the country will be stronger if we take this course, and our actions will be even more effective. We should have this debate, because the issues are too big for business as usual. And this morning, John Boehner, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell agreed that this is the right thing to do for our democracy.

Perhaps the right thing to do for our democracy would be to allow a broader public debate based on the intelligence the admistration claims to have. Does our democracy gain nothing from the tax expenditures that fund our security and surveillance state? How long can the administration hide behind the lie that some intelligence can’t be shared for risk of exposing the ways and means we get that intelligence.

As always, the strongest arguments are made when we reference the children and our responsibilities to them. This segment of the Obama speech, one fears, will bump the approval rating for a war in Syria higher:

“We cannot raise our children in a world where we will not follow through on the things we say, the accords we sign, the values that define us.”

But President Obama, with all due respect, you are wrong. This country was literally built on violating treaties, accords, and the values you say define us. We call it American exceptionalism. The Homestead Act of 1862 is but one of dozens of examples that bear this out. 50 million acres of formerly indigenous land in the west having been violently invaded by US Soldiers in violation of treaties was distributed by the government at low cost to white settlers only- and 100 million acres of indigenous land were given for free to railroad developers.

If the values that define our country include sending 3 million dollar missiles reigning down in Syria, creating a ripple effect of collateral deaths, refugees, and destruction whose potential reconstruction has the shareholders’ of US contracting companies like Halliburton and missile makers Raytheon salivating as they dream of the guaranteed future profits war inevitably brings, then you can count me out of that value system.

Finally, perhaps the most telling section of the Obama Rose garden speech came towards the end, with his direct appeal to the American people:

And finally, let me say this to the American people: I know well that we are weary of war. We’ve ended one war in Iraq. We’re ending another in Afghanistan. And the American people have the good sense to know we cannot resolve the underlying conflict in Syria with our military. In that part of the world, there are ancient sectarian differences, and the hopes of the Arab Spring have unleashed forces of change that are going to take many years to resolve. And that’s why we’re not contemplating putting our troops in the middle of someone else’s war.

“We know we can not resolve the underlying conflict in Syria with our military” are the commander in chiefs own words as he asks for our permission to commit our military to a civil war that has, among its rebel fighters, Al-Qaeda and Al-Qaeda linked groups. We did this before, in Afghanistan in the 1980s supporting freedom fighters with arms and training that counted among its members a young rookie in the terror game named Osama bin Laden. Those U.S. supported efforts in the region gave birth to Al-Qaeda and came back to hit us on September 11, 2011.

President Obama’s August 31 speech: I’ve told you what I believe, that our security and our values demand that we cannot turn away from the massacre of countless civilians with chemical weapons. And our democracy is stronger when the President and the people’s representatives stand together. I’m ready to act in the face of this outrage. Today I’m asking Congress to send a message to the world that we are ready to move forward together as one nation. Thanks very much.

The Nobel peace prize winning Obama has presented the American people and the world a binary argument: stand by and do nothing, or bomb, bomb, bomb. Diplomacy, for the most powerful nation in the world, is not on the table and that is the outrage that should have the American people ready to act, and move together as one nation to say without equivocation: no war with Syria.

Lawyers and conflicts – the myopia continues – Slaw

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

Yesterday, retired judge Dennis O’Connor resigned from heading up the Toronto Police use of force review. He did so because of a perceived conflict of interest over his role at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP; BLG represents the Toronto Police when they are sued.

According to the Toronto Sun, O’Connor said in a statement, “We were surprised by the objections raised by lawyers for some of the victims’ families to my conducting the review. We had thought that I could structure and conduct the review to satisfy any concern but apparently not….. I regret that this issue has arisen but I am of the view that if there is any possibility of concern in a matter such as this, it is best to address it at the outset.”

To most observers this resignation was a long time coming and illustrates the acute myopia that some lawyers have when it comes to conflicts of interest. Clearly both Mr. O’Connor and BLG wanted to be part of such a high profile matter – no wonder he took so long (16 days) to see the obvious conflict; the rewards were too great.

This is nothing new for the legal profession.

Most lawyers are aware that Ontario Bencher Peter Wardle is making a play to remain on the LSUC appeals panel for the Joe Groia disciplinary matter. This, despite the fact that his firm, Wardle Daley Bernstein is currently retained by the Law Society to represent it in four proceedings: Law Society of Upper Canada v. Small; Law Society of Upper Canada v. Chiarelli; Law Society of Upper Canada v. Feldman; and Sharma v. Law Society of Upper Canada. AND, there are an additional four proceedings in which Wardle Daley Bernstein are being retained by LawPRO to represent the Law Society: Alessandro et al. v. Law Society of Upper Canada; Lindhorst v. Law Society of Upper Canada et al.; Mundalai v. Law Society of Upper Canada; and Tiago et al. v. Law Society of Upper Canada et al.

As Mr. Wardle did not, as Mr. O’Connor eventually did, see the obvious conflict, LSUC and Mr. Groia will waste money and time fighting over it. Clearly Mr. Wardle is not of Mr. O’Connor’s view that, “if there is any possibility of concern in a matter such as this, it is best to address it at the outset.” And so another panel was convened in July to determine if Mr. Wardle is to be conflicted out of the appeals panel. That decision is yet to be rendered.

Why Mr. Wardle should be permitted to be a Bencher when he financially benefits from work done by his firm for the Law Society is another interesting question.

Certainly directors on a corporate board of directors who have even the faintest grasp of good governance, would never allow a director to so financially benefit.

Why is it OK for a Bencher?

It all seems a bit too cozy, doesn’t it?

Top Herbal Remedies For Nearsightedness – How To Treat …

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

The medical term for nearsightedness is Myopia, a condition where in an individual is unable to get the correct vision of objects that are at a distance and the vision gets blurred. People suffering from myopia are usually able to view the objects that are near, and face difficulty viewing objects at a distance. It is a growing epidemic in western countries where people are constantly glued to televisions and computer monitors.

Though this problem is genetic, improper eating habits, strain to the eyes that could be mental or straining it by reading in moving vehicles, or long hours of watching television or even reading in poor light can also be a cause for getting this eye disorder. When a person squints and strains to see things at a distance, has constant fatigue in the eyes or even bad headaches, then he should get his eyes checked as these are all signs of myopia. The opthalmist has ways of correcting this problem, however if detected on time, it can be taken care of by certain herbal remedies, some of which are discusses below.

Herbal Remedies For Nearsightedness

Liquorices (Mulethi)

This herb is actually a spice that proves to be an excellent remedy for myopia. Regular use of this herb ascertains gradual healing of the blurred vision.

The ideal way to consume it is by powdering it and dividing it in two parts, one part is to be added to honey and the other half is to be mixed with butter and then it has to be swallowed with a glass of milk simultaneously. It will definitely give results if taken on a regular basis.

Triphala

This herb of Indian origin is very famous for curing any type of eye problems and can be mixed with amla and harad for better results.

A decoction of triphala with water where 30gms of triphala’s powder can be mixed with almost three cups of water and prepared. This solution can be consumed daily and can also be used as eyewash as well.

Amla(Emblica Officinalis)

Another name for Amla is amalaki or dhatriphala in Sanskrit and is highly recommended by the Ayurveda for treating optical disorders such as myopia. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and refreshes the eyes when used on a regular basis.

A solution of amla powder and water can be prepared as eyewash and its juice taken regularly is equally beneficial in healing the eyesight and reducing blurring.

Fennel (Sauf)

This herb is a condiment and very popular ingredient found in Indian kitchen. It is another excellent remedy for reducing blurring and improving eyesight. The seeds are used more that its leaves as they are chewable.

Fennel when grounded with almonds and sugar candy in equal proportions and consumed at night with a glass of milk, on a regular basis is the best way of getting rid of myopia.

Horsetail

This herb not only tackles myopia on its onset but also improves blood circulation in the eyes as well. It is known to stop the disorder from increasing as it helps in preventing blurred vision.

The best way to use this herb is by preparing an eyebath .One can dab a soft piece of clean cloth in horsetail solution and can keep it on the eyes. This process has to be repeated daily for best results.

Photo Credit: http://www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/myopia.asp

Media Myopia and the Image of Africa, by Paul Stoller | Mats Utas

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

There seems to be no limit to the media’s unwitting capacity to mischaracterize the African continent. Given the often inaccurate and superficial stories that emerge from Africa, is it any wonder that many people in the U.S., for example, think that Africa is one country? Is it any wonder that many Americans believe that the Africa is routinely ruled by greedy despots who live in extravagant luxury while their people suffer in the grip of poverty?

As I mentioned in several previous blogs on this sad subject, the print and broadcast media have usually constructed an African narrative of endless ethnic warfare, incessant drought, tragic famine, unspeakable epidemics, rampant rape and chilling child abuse. The narrative also underscores dysfunctional family relations in which elderly patriarchs brutalize young women some of whom may be their wives, some of who may be their daughters or nieces. In short, the media narrative about Africa makes it seem like a brutal place where people lead miserable lives, a place that is so destitute and hopeless, that “we” need to “help” them.

These kinds of narratives embody partial truths about social life in Africa. There is no shortage of despots, epidemics, food insecurity, or family dysfunction in Africa. But for anyone one who has spent time living with families in Senegal, Mali, Niger, Kenya or Uganda, the narratives about social life in Africa become singularly complex — as complex as social life in American society. Indeed, the people I’ve meet during more than 30 years of anthropological research in West Africa have been poor, but amazingly creative, resilient and wise.

How, then, do these over-simplifications about Africa and Africans get established and reinforced?

Here’s one example from Nicholas Kristof, internationally renowned columnist for the New York Times. In his July 13 column,” Where Young Women Find Healing and Hope,” Mr. Kristof, whose important humanitarian work I greatly admire, described his visit to a medical center in Danja, Niger. Here’s how Mr. Kristof began his “On the Ground” column about the Danja, Niger Fistula center:

They straggle in by foot, donkey cart or bus: humiliated women and girls with their heads downcast, feeling ashamed and cursed, trailing stink and urine.

Some were married off at 12 or 13 years old and became pregnant before their malnourished bodies were ready. All suffered a devastating childbirth injury called an obstetric fistula that has left them incontinent, leaking urine and sometimes feces through their vaginas. Most have been sent away by their husbands, and many have endured years of mockery and ostracism as well as painful sores on their legs from the steady trickle of urine.

It is incontestably important to bring into public awareness the problem of fistula in Niger. But how much can Mr. Kristof — or anyone else — understand about the social and economic conditions of rural Niger if they simply “drop in” for a short visit to the Danja Fistula Center?

For many months, Alison Heller, a medical anthropologist, has been doing research at Niger’s four fistula centers. She has studied Hausa, one of the two major languages in Niger, and knows the social and cultural history of the people who visit the Danja Fistula Center. In a recent entry to her blog, Sai Hankuri: Fieldnotes from Niger, she not only pinpoints the inaccuracies in Kristof’s column but also suggests how they lead to stereotypical beliefs about Africa and Africans.

Responding to Kristof’s lead sentence, “They straggle in by foot, donkey cart or bus: humiliated women and girls with their heads downcast, feeling ashamed and cursed, trailing stink and urine,” Heller wrote:

Women with fistula are incontinent, and although the severity of their leaks dramatically vary, they all leak. That said, most women with fistula meticulously tend to their self-care — adapting to their condition, creating homemade barriers or sanitary pads, washing diligently, slathering themselves in perfume. Very seldom can you smell a woman with fistula. Indeed, although they shoulder a heavy burden, they “trail” neither stink nor urine. In fact, many women go years without anyone knowing about their condition, including those closest to them, those with whom they share a house, or even a bed.

In the same July 13th column Kristof wrote: “There is nothing more wrenching than to see a teenage girl shamed by a fistula,” to which Heller responded:

… Nearly all of these “girls” have been married; nearly all have carried one or more pregnancies to term. Many sufferers of fistula are in their mid to late-20s, many in their 30s, and some in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. Does the suffering of a middle-aged woman with fistula count for less than the suffering of a “teenage girl”? Is it less “wrenching”?

In the column, Kristof tells the story of one of Danja’s fistula patients, Hadiza Soulaye. Heller, who has talked with this woman over a long period of time, suggests that Kristof didn’t recount her story correctly. She stated:

Interviewing women about sensitive subjects can be difficult. It takes time to grow a relationship and foster trust. On the surface, many women’s stories seem the same — shame, pain, and hope for cure. But after picking and prodding and posing and prying (a process that takes not just hours, but weeks and sometimes months), their stories take shape, holes are filled in, and the diversity of experiences begins to show itself. Still, it is too easy to cobble together a patchwork of facts with the thread of supposition. Reality fades into to fiction.

Heller’s “on the ground” critique suggests a problem of much greater significance. Can we rely completely on generalist knowledge in an increasingly complex world? Can we send journalists — even one as good as Nicholas Kristof — to faraway places where people speak unfamiliar languages like Songhay, Hausa, Tamasheq, and Wolof and expect them to quickly and fully understand what they are witnessing? This kind of quick representation often leads to negative stereotypes, mythical thinking, and misplaced priorities.

I am certainly not suggesting that Nicholas Kristof forgo travel places like Niger. I applaud his efforts to raise life-changing funds for the Danja Fistula Center. To set the record straight, however, more scholars like Alison Heller need to bring their nuanced ground-level comprehension of complex social issues into the public sphere — one way to correct an epidemic of media myopia that creates and reinforces a fictive image of Africa.

Paul Stoller is Professor of Anthropology at West Chester University. His new book, Yaya’s Story: The Quest for Wellbeing in the World is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press in 2014. In 2013 he was awarded the Anders Retzius.Gold Medal in Anthropology. Follow Paul Stoller on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Sohanci

This text was first published in the Huffington Post 08/08/2013

Tell the child myopia glasses before – link7878の日記

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

Tell the child myopia glasses before

Burden of learning “overweight” To the eye fatigue

Many parents have a question: “Why is it that their children attend primary school shortsighted eyes?”

Chinese Medical Association of Yunnan Province Medical Association Ophthalmic yellow orb club members said that with the development of modern science, social fierce competition, people need to keep learning to read. Especially young children, the study load is too heavy. Parents looking for their children to learn something more, in addition to the heavy burden of learning outside the school, and gave the kids what additional English classes, chess classes, art classes, calligraphy classes, computer classes, and so on.

High strength eye, leading to eye a long time in a State of fatigue, unavailability of mitigation and adjustment causes the culinary muscle spasm, thereby squeezing eyes caused by capillary micro-circulation, and formed the myopia. If parents are myopic, that children have higher incidence of myopia.

Yellow Pearl introduced for ordinary myopia patients, these changes because eye structure produced reason, which is not correct, scientific eye.

Therefore, the yellow orb remind parents: “Once a child to see distant blur, look near clear, easy to read less than one hour to produce fatigue, recurrent sties, inhalation, etc., or watching TV habits Amandie focus, move closer, reading, writing easy wrong questions, so unexplained fall in academic performance, they should take their child to the hospital for vision screening, early detection and early treatment.

Tell myopia glasses before

Glasses to the hospital or to the Chanel Sunglasses shop with? How to wear glasses it science?

Pseudo myopia is often incorrectly used as eye, the culinary muscle sustained contraction, cramps, and lack of proper rest, the crystal also will thicken. Such external parallel rays entering the eye, thickening of the crystal body housing inflection, the focus fell on the front of the retina, to see distant things naturally clear. During this period, the eye without structural change, if we can properly rest and treatment, attention to eye health, rational use of the eyes, it is possible to restore normal vision. However, if not promptly corrected pseudo myopia stage and treatment, over time it will develop into a true myopia.

If you suspect pseudo myopia to the hospital for eye examination, the doctor will use the syrup dilated pupil dilation, to be checked after cyclopedia refraction. If there is no change in refraction, while significant progress by dilation or restore vision to normal, indicating that only pseudo-myopia. If after mid rise optometry culinary muscle paralysis there is a corresponding change in myopia, visual acuity improved after dilation, plus the corresponding myopia, vision can be improved, and this is a true myopia.

Formation of myopia stemmed largely from physical diseases. As with the eyes close and high-strength eye, causing the eye to visual fatigue. If prolonged state of fatigue, lack of mitigation and adaptation, it is easy to cause the culinary muscle spasm, thereby squeezing the eye capillaries, leading to micro-circulatory disturbances and eventually become myopic.

The difference is that with hypertrophy, myopia is a state of relaxation in the regulation of the eye, the parallel light refracted through the eye of the refractive system, the focus falls on the retina before, resulting in visual distortion, Chanel Aviator Sunglasses causes distant objects blurred.

The hypertrophy eye in the regulation is relaxed state, the parallel light refracted through the eye of the refractive system, the focus falls on the retina, the retina form a diffuse ring, can not form a clear image.

Myopically occurs mainly in children aged 1-2

Myopically is no organic disease eyeball to functional factors mainly caused by distant visual acuity less than 0.9, and corrected visual acuity and reach normal, or there is organic change and refractive error, but incompatible with lesions adapt to poor eyesight and can not be corrected for myopically.

Myopically may occur during Visual development, began in 1-2 years old. Chanel Sunglasses Women made up early, its extent, the more weight.

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Myopia | Behavioural Optometry – Sleeman Optometry

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Restore Eyesight with Bates Eye Exercises

What is myopia?

Myopia or shortsightedness means a difficulty seeing far away, such as trouble looking at street signs while being able to see well up close. So near vision is good and distance vision is blurred.

Common corrections for this problem include spectacles, contact lenses and for some laser refractive surgery. The eye can be considered a little too long in size with the image focussed in front of the retina.

The condition typically starts around 7 to 9 years of age and develops in the teens and generally stabilises in the 20s.

Myopia or shortsightedness means a difficulty seeing far away

It is well known that certain groups are more greatly affected. In Asian populations, the rates of myopia are much higher than in Caucasian populations. For example in Singapore, 34% of the population is considered to be myopic and even up to 80% are affected in certain vocations who study extensively.

In my Central Coast location, the amount of children presenting with shortsightedness is more like 10%. The local kids enjoy their outdoor lifestyle, plenty of natural light and soccer is popular. So lesser rates.

There has been a lot of research into the factors behind myopia. Considered to be relevant include genetics, time spent in natural light and amount of closework. What is not 100% clear cut is how the myopia is corrected whether that has a bearing on the eventual degree of correction required. In some young people they progress a lot and need thick glasses and others the prescription is quite minimal if any.

The question is do you fully correct, delay prescribing or give some form of under correction. Another question is the form of correction: are contact lenses better than glasses, are hard contact lenses better than soft; what about bifocal or multifocal spectacle corrections. Some studies have looked at atropine eye drops to temporarily penalise near focus as a strategy to slow myopic progression.

Probably the best way at present we have for control of myopic progression is orthokeratology, a hard contact lens option. More on this later.