TRAUMA

Guys! We actually have more accidents than girls (maybe because we tend to live harder!) but accidental falls are more common in elderly females 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.