The pupil is the tiny dark hole in the center of the iris that dilates or constricts in response to the amount of light available and emotional states such as fear. The iris’s two muscles control the pupil’s size. Disorders that...
Vertigo may be caused by a number of medical conditions that affect the inner ear, including Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), Meniere's disease and neurological damage resulting in dizziness, particularly in elderly people. The...
Carbachol is a cholinergic drug, which means it causes parasympathetic effects in the eye. The autonomic nervous system, which controls reflex actions in the body, consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems .Carbachol is...
The pupil is the round black center of the eye. It is the opening that lets light into the eyeball. The colored iris surrounds the pupil. According to Ted M. Montgomery, O.D., the eye's pupil widens when the dilator muscles of the iris...
When determining the severity of a motocross accident, you probably already have a gut feeling about what you just witnessed. Sometimes perception is reality and sometimes looks are deceiving though, so forming a general impression is important....
Early detection of a stroke provides the best chance for recovery. There are several easy tests for determining if someone is experiencing a stroke. A brief neurological assessment can be performed on the spot at the first sign of symptoms. Once...
When determining the severity of an equestrian injury, you probably already have a gut feeling about what you just witnessed. Sometimes perception is reality and sometimes looks are deceiving though, so forming a general impression is important....
Morphine is a prescription pain medication from the opiate family. For some people, morphine may cause side effects that result in weight loss, such as nausea or reduced appetite. Understanding how morphine causes weight loss allows you to take...
Buprenex is a brand name for buprenorphine hydrochloride. It is a controlled substance sold by prescription. Buprenex is indicated for treatment of moderate to severe pain. Typical dosage is 0.3 mg injected into the muscle or vein. Buprenorphine...
Pilocarpine is a prescription medication available in oral forms and as an ophthalmic solution. Pilocarpine ophthalmic is a miotic drug, meaning it decreases pupil size. This effect increases drainage of intraocular fluid from the eye and thus...
Phenylephrine hydrochloride is indicated for congestion of the nose, sinus and eustachian tubes; paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (short bursts of rapid heart rate); anesthesia support; vascular failure in shock; eye conditions; and eye...
Oxycodone with APAP (also called acetaminophen) is a prescription medication available in oral tablet form. It's a controlled substance sold generically and under the brand name Percocet. Oxycodone with acetaminophen is indicated for moderate to...
Dry mouth, also known as xerostomia, occurs when the salivary glands don't produce enough saliva to keep the mouth moist. Saliva is necessary to remove plaque and sugar from the mouth and prevent tooth decay. Xerostomia can be caused by certain...
With typical outputs of 10 to 20 lumen, flashlights pose little or no threat to the eyes. One reason for this is the built-in defense ability that the eyes possess. Through the coordinated efforts of the pupil, iris, retina and the optic nerve,...
Anxiety attacks, or panic attacks, are sudden episodes of intense fear, panic or generalized anxiety. These episodes occur suddenly, often without warning, although sometimes a trigger for the symptoms can be identified. The episodes are brief,...
The eye pupil is the hole in the middle of the iris, the colored part of the eye. Pupils dilate and shrink in response to light; two muscles control pupil size, according to "Fundamentals for Ophthalmic Personnel." Pupillary reactions are...
A cataract is an eye disorder in which the lens of the eye becomes cloudy and obscures vision, according to the National Eye Institute. The risk of developing cataracts increases as a person ages and by age 80, more than 50 percent of Americans...
Senile cataracts are a clouding of the lens in the eye that develops with aging. More than 70 percent of people over age 75 have some degree of lens clouding, according to Richard Lindstrom, M.D., of ImproveYourVision.com. Senile cataracts can...
Addiction to prescription pain medicines is a growing problem in the United States. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, lists the following painkillers among the most frequently abused medications: Vicodin, OxyContin, Stadol, Demerol,...
During a full eye exam, most eye doctors need to dilate a patient's pupils. This allows him a clear view to see into the back of the eye. The doctor's assistant will put a drop in each eye, and the patient will wait a few minutes before the drops...
Vicodin is a combination of the drugs acetaminophen, also known as Tylenol, and the opiate hydrocodone. Opiates are a class of drugs derived from the opium poppy plant that include morphine, oxycodone, methadone, heroin, fentanyl and others. They...
Your eyes are one of the most important ways you sense the world around you. Without your having to think about it, these amazing organs make sense of the beams of light that bounce off objects and into your eyes. Your eyes then tell your brain...
There are a number of different types of optic nerve atrophy, so presentation can vary from case to case. In general, patients experience abnormal color vision and a decrease in visual acuity. Optic nerve atrophy can occur precipitously or...
The illegal drug heroin derives from the same opium poppy plant as legal but controlled narcotics such as morphine, oxycodone and codeine. Called an opiate because of its origins, heroin once was legal in the United States until the Harrison...
Glaucoma is a disease characterized by high pressure in the eye and damage to the optic nerve. Acute closed angle glaucoma is one subtype of this disease which occurs suddenly, over a period of minutes to hours. The eye becomes red and very...
Acute angle closure is also known as acute glaucoma, or acute angle glaucoma. It occurs when the part of the eye called the anterior chamber angle becomes more narrow than usual; in extreme cases the anterior chamber angle closes completely. When...
Stalevo 100 is a combination of entacapone, carbidopa and levodopa used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. This disease of the central nervous system causes your body to shake and move uncontrollably. Levodopa is a substance that helps...
Roxicodone is an immediate-release formulation of the generic medication oxycodone. Oxycodone is an opiate analgesic, meaning it works on the central nervous system to provide pain relief. Roxicodone, like all morphine-derived narcotics, should be...
A cerebrovascular incident, or stroke, is a compromise of the blood vessels to deliver blood to an area of the brain, potentially causing brain damage. It can either be an occlusion of the vessel lumen, known as ischemic stroke, or a rupture of...
