Self Medication and Its Implications

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So one time on an outreach to a rural town called Foase in the Ashanti Region of Ghana a patient came around to ask as to whether she could wear the spectacles of her brother who has gotten a new one because they seem to be having the same problem and the optometrist gave him spectacles so perhaps she would also be given spectacles and as such wanted to know if she can go ahead. Day in Day out lots of people are faced with some of these medical decisions and unfortunately the take the wrong decisions on a regular basis because they fail to consult the health practitioner and end up harming or damaging themselves. What the Lady did not know was that the reason for the spectacles administration could have been anything from a simple refractive error to a complicated case which may even involve some pathological occurrence. Imagine if he was a hyperope and she happens to be a myope how badly the condition would have been if she had gone ahead to wear it.

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Not only do people use others spectacles and contact lenses without consultation from their Optometrist but also drugs too. I do remember lots of cases that reported to the clinic where I interned at Kwadaso in the Ashanti Region, where parents and guardians had given their old drugs to their kids or wards because they were complaining of similar or same symptoms as they exhibit. Their believe was that this would serve as a first aid for them until they came to the clinic, whiles, some were lucky enough to have the medication working positively for them others had serious detrimental effects. For instance there was a patient who had developed a corneal ulcer because the previous medication he had used had steroid in it and so when he decided to take it again it melted the cornea as there was an abrasion already, only if had not tried to self-medicate, the ulcer healed and left him a scar that will permanently alter his vision.

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Another point I want to pick on today has to do with the purchase of glasses out of the prescription of the Eye Doctor, especially dark shades. What dark spectacles do is that they create the dark sensation and reduce the illumination to the eye, this may have been a good thing as it too much bright light is not good for the eye; however, the problem lies with the Ultraviolet rays that come from the sun which just shade cannot keep away from getting into the eyes. UV is known to accelerate the rate of cataract formation and has some implication in the development of macular degeneration. Now the sad thing is that in the presence of high illumination or brightness your pupils will constrict naturally to restrict light entering the eye which also reduce the UV that may be entering the eye at any particular point in time since the pupil is basically the only entrance for light into the eye, so when the dark glasses creates this false sense of darkness the pupils dilate, to allow more light into the eye so one can see better and in doing so more UV rays into the eye cause more harm. Thus, the fashion or whichever purpose for which one decided to go with the dark glasses becomes detrimental to their own health. What your Optometrist can do for you is to get you the dark glasses with UV protection, that way, you can enjoy your fashion and still be protected from the harmful effects of UV.

Self-medication is never the right channel to use, Always Consult your physician or eye doctor when facing a health challenge, It is better safe than sorry, Your health is your wealth, Your Vision is our Priority, Good Life should always be lived well don’t leave things to chance. Have Great Weekend.

What is @bettervision about?

@bettervision is is a project initiated by @nattybongo and friends to give back to the society the knowledge and skill acquired through the Optometric Studies in Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.It is an outreach system where we visit the less privileged communities to offer free eye screening services and education to the people within the community

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
To reduce or prevent vision loss through diseases such as glaucoma, cataract and refractive errors.

To enlighten the majority of the Ghanaian population about the importance of proper visual care.

To conscientize people on the need for regular eye checks

To get more people to have their wards screened within the Critical periods of a Child’s Vision Development; thus from ages 3 to till about 10 years.

To help the blind and people with low vision live a better life within the society through education of the general public to stop stigmatization.

To help in the fight of extreme poverty that puts the health of people at risk

Our greatest gratitude goes to @fundition @adollaraday @surfyogi @girlsfoundation @bleepcoin @ackza @indigoocean @nanzo-scoop @steemstem @demotruk @pennsif @steem-ambassador @kasho and @wafrica for helping to make the aims and objectives of @bettervision a reality.