TRAUMA

Guys! We actually have more
accidents than girls (maybe
because we tend to live harder!)
but accidental falls are more
common in elderly AND… the most common cause
of an accidental fall is not SEEING
something! Don’t let cataracts
or old glasses be the cause of a
broken hip!

Victims of domestic violence are
usually women. (However, my
first patient to tell me about
spousal abuse was a man. It is
very hard for a guy to ask for
help in these situations.) Injuries
in and around the eye are very
common: bleeding, bruising,
retinal detachments, and partial
or total blindness.

PRIVATE PROBLEMS

Some Infections may be more
common in girls than guys.
This will make you think…
If you are a sexually active girl
and you get a pretty messy looking
pink eye or conjunctivitis~
first, get in to see me (and don’t
be afraid to give me the story)
because it might be your only
symptom of a sexually transmitted
disease like Gonorrhea or
Chlamydia! Since guys usually
have other symptoms (burning
somewhere WAY below the
eyes!) it leads them to go get
checked out and treated.
Also it has been reported
recently that AIDS is now more
common for girls than guys. (If
you have HIV/AIDS please let
me know so I can watch for
specific eyeball problems. Also
the medications you take may
have side effects in the eye.)

CANCER

If you think I haven’t seen cancer
in the eye, then think again.
Parts of the eye are made from
the same kind of tissue as skin
so you may get a Melanoma
(yes, I have seen this…more
than once…and all girls) on or
IN the eye. The upside is that
you may not have symptoms,
but the down side is…its MELANOMA!
Protect yourself from
UV damage …it’s never too late
to start!
Breast cancer isn’t just a girl
thing, but it is definitely more
common in girls and since the
eye has a really great blood
supply at the retina it is possible
for the cancer to travel to the
eye and set up camp…again,
there may be no symptoms! The
only way to see it inside the eye
is to have me LOOK in! Don’t
turn down a dilation if I suggest
it…I don’t like to be dilated so I
tend to do it for medical reasons.

IRON & CALCIUM DEFICIENCY:

These are more common for the
gals. The fatigue and/or osteoarthritis
would be bad enough
without the added possibility of
tissue damage inside the eye
and dry eye on the outside!

DEPRESSION is an important
symptom more common in girls.
You might take a drug to help
and wind up with dry eye as a
neat little side effect. Dry eye is
not only miserable but it opens
you up to the possibility of
infection and the inability to
wear your contacts! That alone
could cause depression!

After that “magic” number -50-
HYPERTENSION (yep, that is
high blood pressure!) is more
common in the gals. Many of
you know that my first patient
after I graduated had out-ofcontrol
high blood pressure…I
guess it is best that the blood
vessels that popped were inside
the eyes instead of in the BRAIN.
A stroke will ruin your weekend!
The best vision I could give to
the patient was 20/100…20/40
is what you need to be legal to
drive!

Here’s one for you mom!
GRAVES DISEASE is not as
“Grave” as it sounds but it is
serious enough! This is a thyroid
problem that might give you
goiter, which is enlargement of
the thyroid (one of the many
things I look for while I am
saying, “which is better…1 or
2?”!) The disease may present to
me with large protruding eyes,
eyes not teaming together very
well and dry eye!

Many patients are not aware
that I am evaluating the skin on
the face, hand, hair, and neck.
Thyroid problems can include
dry, brittle hair, dry skin, ridges
on nails that become brittle and
break easily. Goiter is a swelling
of the thyroid near the base of
the throat that I look for while
the patient is picking "which is
better? one! or two?)

PREGNANCY

And let’s not forget the miracle
of birth that is endured by our
girls! I have personally seen the
hormone changes during pregnancy
dramatically change
vision in every possible way!
Sometimes the vision comes
back and sometimes it stays.
Vision may continue to change
even through the nursing
period! If you experience diabetes
during pregnancy there are
a bunch of eyeball problems
that could pop up! Diabetes is
the leading cause of blindness
in the United States! (get regular
check ups…don’t wait till your
vision changes—it might be too
late at that point!). Girls: pregnancy
should come with a
warning—you might SEE the dad
differently afterward too! I don’t
know if I can help with that one
though!
Shelby Wickhorst, O.D.