Health: Taking contraceptive pill ‘doubles blindness risk’

Women who take the contraceptive pill are doubling their chances of contracting glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, a study has shown.

The risk was particularly high in those who used oral contraceptives for three years or more, with no difference between brands.

Anyone who had taken the pill for three years or longer should have their eyes tested for the condition, researchers warned.

Previous studies suggested oestrogen, an ingredient in many contraceptive pills, might be involved in the development of glaucoma.

However, the findings were disputed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in Britain, which said the benefits of the pill ‘far outweighed’ the risks and women should continue taking it.

Glaucoma is caused by a build-up of fluid pressure in the eye, resulting in irreversible damage to the optic nerve.


About one in ten people who contracts it goes blind and there is currently no cure for those who lose their sight. The new finding, which followed a study of more than 3,400 women, drew warnings from researchers, who urged gynaecologists and eye specialists to be aware of the risk.

Prof Shan Lin, from the University of California, San Francisco, said: ‘Women who have taken oral contraceptives for three or more years should be screened for glaucoma and followed closely by an ophthalmologist, especially if they have any other existing risk factors.’

These include family history, black African ancestry, short-sightedness, raised pressure in the eye and diabetes.

But the MHRA said a link with glaucoma had not been confirmed, instead pointing to other benefits of the pill, which can help with menstrual disorders, as well as decrease the risk of developing cancer in the uterus and ovaries if taken long-term.

‘The MHRA closely monitors the safety of all medicines, including that of hormonal contraceptives, and will take any action to protect patients as necessary,’ it added.

Adapted from The Metro
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Dealing With Stress

In order to avoid the effects of stress on the body, there are several measures that can be taken to cope, prevent and even reduce stress.  The first step to stress management is recognizing and accepting the current situation. It is only then that an individual can be able to take necessary measures of control. Finding ways to deal better with stress is important as stressful factors and occasions are bound to happen to all in life. One way of dealing with stress is ensuring the goals that one set are realistic. It is also important to set priorities to avoid getting overwhelmed with responsibilities. Day to day activities should be balanced so as to avoid the pressures of meeting deadlines. Allocate appropriate time for going to work, school, spending time with family and friends and resting. Set time aside to do things that keep an individual relaxed. This can be through exercising, taking a bath, listening to music or doing yoga.

 Identifying stressful point sources and avoiding is another way of dealing with stress. These sources can be related to individual habits, friends and attitude. For example, there are some people who due to the nature of the relationship may cause continuous stress to others. Limiting the amount of time that one spends with such kind of people will be critical to preventing stress. In addition, expressing one’s emotions and communicating it as soon a stressful situation arises is healthier than holding it in which increases the amount of stress.

There are certain situations in life that people cannot change, for example, the death of a loved one. In this kind of situation, finding ways to adapt is essential. Dealing with stress in this case will require a person to view the problem differently and adjusting one’s attitude to deal with the situation better. Focusing on the positive side of a bad situation helps keeps things in perspective and find alternative solutions. Lack of enough sleep may contribute to increased stress.  Management of stress also requires people to avoid substances that may cause a person to avoid dealing with an issue.

It is important to note that people deal with stress differently and as such finding ways that are effective to an individual is critical. A person needs to undertake activities which they enjoy most. Dealing with stress demands maintaining a healthy lifestyle in diet, balanced routine, exercise and interact with trustworthy persons and always have an optimistic attitude

Depression is very dangerous to your health, how to avoid it

Depression is an extreme emotional expression of feelings such as sadness, discouragement or not being in a mood to talk with others. This disorder is characterized by persistent grief, irritability, anxiety feelings, poor or change of eating habits, rapid weight loss or gain and sleeping problems.

Depression has become a pandemic syndrome globally; thus contributing to deterioration of health. The research study indicates that many million American adults suffer from depression, but yet the non-reported cases of depression cannot be estimated. Depression interferes with the normal functions of daily activities of people because it causes physical and emotional distress. 

Depression varies in severity because some people may experience depression mildly; thus they will be able to continue with their daily activities without any problems. However, others will experience it once or twice a day and it can contribute to a recurring disease. Depression may result due to prolonged stress and this can contribute to higher duration and severity of this disorder.

Although depression is an extreme emotional expression of feelings caused by stressful live events, illness or medications, providing effective physical and medical treatment such as psychotherapy and antidepressant is crucial.

The main treatment for depression includes psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment approaches. However, some special treatments can be administered to women suffering from depression disorder because of female biological differences. Therefore, any medication offered to women should be monitored because women experience many side effects more than men. 

In the case of prevention, there are varied steps that one should take to prevent depression, which is triggered by external circumstances. First, eating a healthy diet is crucial; thus making a healthy eating plan is fundamental. 

Secondly, proper exercise and expressing feeling to friends are among the ways for relaxing the mind; thus help in promoting a healthy life.  Having positive thoughts and learning to mediate can contribute to positive mental and physical health.

Although depression is an extreme emotional expression of feelings caused by stressful live events, illness or medications, providing effective physical and medical treatment is vital. There are many causes of depression such as relationship issues, family crisis, work stress, illness and many others. 

However, eating a healthy diet, having positive thoughts and proper physical exercise is crucial. Lastly, administering psychotherapy and antidepressant treatment measures would help to reduce depression disorder.