Eye, Ear, Throat Health

A floater is the term commonly used to describe small spots in your field of vision. Floaters cast shadows over the retina (the light-sensitive inner layer of the eye) and the retina in turn then sends visual signals to the brain, resulting in an image being seen. This causes the person to see small specks that move slowly before the eyes, particularly in certain lights and against certain backgrounds. For instance, when you look at a plain background like a blue sky, you may often see floaters. They can be seen in various forms, as dots, specks, threads or cobwebs.

The gift of sight, while key to the human experience, can be a fragile one. Sometimes it takes a little effort and awareness to preserve our eyesight. While not all eye problems can be prevented, a lot can be done to slow the progression of many eye disorders and prevent visual impairment. There are a number of ways in which to care for our eyes. The importance of good nutrition cannot be emphasized enough. A healthy diet, along with protection from the sun, and necessary precautions to guard against eye diseases are the a few simple steps towards maintaining optimal eye health.

Episcleritis is an inflammatory condition of the episclera (the connective tissue between the conjunctiva and sclera in the eye). This type of eye inflammation, while bothersome and mildly uncomfortable, usually looks worse than it is and is usually not considered serious. In fact, episcleritis usually disappears within 1 to 2 weeks without any medical treatment. Statistically, women are more affected by episcleritis than men, and it characteristically occurs in people who are in their 30's and 40's. Episcleritis can sometimes develop into a recurrent problem, and in rare cases, may even develop into scleritis.