Can I correct my sight without eyeglasses?

Dr Flo, I have had an eye problem since Class Four. I have visited so many hospitals and the only thing I get is a prescription for spectacles.

I don't feel good wearing them all day, but my eyes are worsening - becoming duller by the day and I can't see well. Is there another remedy for my near-sightedness or will I have to wear glasses for life? Natasha

Dear Natasha,
For us to see, light enters the eye through the cornea and the lens of the eye, which bend (refract) it, to focus the rays on the retina at the back of the eye (similar to camera film).
When you are near-sighted, the rays of light are focused in front of the retina, so you can’t see the object very clearly.

This can happen because the eye ball is too long, or there is a problem with the cornea or the lens, causing less effective bending of light.

As a result, you can see objects that are near you clearly, but have problems seeing things that are far. This may cause strain in the eyes and headaches.
You need to see an eye specialist (ophthalmologist), who will do some tests to assess the level of short-sightedness and to establish if there is any other problem. Near-sightedness is easily corrected using spectacles/glasses or contact lenses.

Wearing spectacles does not worsen the problem, nor is it addictive. And glasses can be an excellent fashion statement too!
There are other ways to correct eyesight, like use of intraocular lenses (lenses placed inside the eye) and refractive surgery, like laser surgery, which can be done in some people.

Dr Flo, there is discharge from my right breast. I had my breasts checked and doctors concluded that I have a clogged duct, which they called duct ectasia.

They said that the only solution is to remove the duct (ductectomy).

I want to conceive my third born as soon as possible. Will the surgery affect breastfeeding? Nancy

Dear Nancy,
The adult female breast has 15 to 20 lobules where milk is produced, and ducts which carry milk from the lobules to the nipple.

The ducts behind the nipple shorten and widen with age. The duct walls also thicken and produce fluid.

This is called duct ectasia. Sometimes the ducts get clogged and there may be inflammation and/or infection of the surrounding tissue.

In most people, there are no symptoms or there may be minimal nipple discharge which resolves on its own.

If there is an infection, antibiotics can clear it up. If the discharge is persistent, surgery is done to remove the blocked duct(s).

The surgery may be a microdochetomy, where only the affected ducts are removed, or it may be a total duct excision where all the ducts are removed.

If only one or a few ducts are removed, you can still lactate/breastfeed from that breast because the milk-producing lobules are still present and there are remaining ducts to carry the milk to the nipple.

Dr Flo, whenever I shave my private parts I get boils. What causes this and is there any drug you can recommend? Fay

Dear Fay,
As the hair is growing back after shaving, it either re-enters the skin at the skin follicle, or the sharp tip of the hair pierces the skin follicle before it grows out of the skin to become visible.

This causes the area to become inflammed, causing itching, redness and even swelling. Sometimes it may get infected. This is called pseudofolliculitis.

It can happen anywhere where the hair is shaved or plucked, including the face, the armpits, the groin and the legs.

The simplest treatment is to let the hair grow, or only trim it, instead of shaving completely.

You can use a shaving cream (on the armpits and legs) or go for permanent hair removal using laser or electrolysis.
The ingrown hair in the bumps can be removed gently with tweezers. Some creams like steroid creams and acne medications can help reduce the inflammation, and in case of infection, antibiotic creams and tablets can be prescribed when necessary.

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