So we would need to know the difference between optometrists and ophthalmologists and what the large eye chains use.
http://www.sciencecodex.com/safe_simple_eye_test_may_help_save_lives_by_preventing_stroke-92935
A simple eye test may someday offer an effective way to identify
patients who are at high risk for stroke, say researchers at the
University of Zurich. They showed that a test called ocular pulse
amplitude (OPA) can reliably detect carotid artery stenosis (CAS), a
condition that clogs or blocks the arteries that feed the front part of
the brain. It's a known risk factor for stroke. The OPA test could be
performed by ophthalmologists – physicians who treat eye diseases –
during routine exams. The study, which is published in the June issue of
Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of
Ophthalmology, confirmed that patients who had the lowest OPA scores
also had the most seriously blocked arteries.
Each year, approximately 795,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent
stroke, and more than 137,000 of these people die as a result. People
with severe CAS are much more likely to suffer stroke. Physicians would
like to catch and treat CAS before that can happen, but because CAS has
no symptoms and an efficient test is not currently available, the
disease often goes undetected.
The Swiss research team used a device called the dynamic contour
tonometer to check the OPA of 67 patients who were assumed to have CAS.
The OPA score is calculated by finding the difference between the two
pressure levels that occur inside the eye during the two phases of the
heartbeat − the systolic and diastolic. The tonometer measures the two
pressure levels, then instantly computes the patient's OPA score. When
blood flow to the eye is blocked by CAS, there is not much difference
between the two pressure levels, so the OPA score is low. The study
confirmed that patients with the lowest OPA scores also had the most
seriously blocked arteries. The researchers used ultrasound exams to
corroborate that each study participant had CAS and to detail the
severity of his or her blockage.
"Our results show that ocular pulse amplitude is a reliable, safe
screening test for carotid artery stenosis," said lead researcher Pascal
Bruno Knecht, M.D. "We recommend further study to confirm the value of
using OPA to detect and assess the severity of CAS and to define its use
in stroke prevention."
A research review performed for the U.S Preventive Services Task
Force indicated that if an efficient screening test for CAS were
available, the incidence of stroke and fatalities due to stroke could be
substantially reduced. The review stated that the test should be able
to detect clinically significant CAS, defined as 60 percent to 99
percent blockage of the carotid arteries. Some high-tech tests, such as
magnetic resonance angiography and color duplex ultrasound, already meet
this standard, but they are expensive and not widely available. Their
primary use is in diagnosing patients who already have symptoms of
stroke.
It could be efficient to perform the OPA test during a standard eye
exam, if the ophthalmologist is already using the dynamic contour
tonometer to screen for glaucoma. This type of tonometer is not widely
used in the United States, although it is in Europe.
The researchers say that other than CAS, very few diseases could
cause low OPA scores, and that an ophthalmologist could easily rule out
these other diseases during an eye exam.
Use the labels in the right column to find what you want. Or you can go thru them one by one, there are only 29,112 posts. Searching is done in the search box in upper left corner. I blog on anything to do with stroke.DO NOT DO ANYTHING SUGGESTED HERE AS I AM NOT MEDICALLY TRAINED, YOUR DOCTOR IS, LISTEN TO THEM. BUT I BET THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET YOU 100% RECOVERED. I DON'T EITHER, BUT HAVE PLENTY OF QUESTIONS FOR YOUR DOCTOR TO ANSWER.
Changing stroke rehab and research worldwide now.Time is Brain! trillions and trillions of neurons that DIE each day because there are NO effective hyperacute therapies besides tPA(only 12% effective). I have 523 posts on hyperacute therapy, enough for researchers to spend decades proving them out. These are my personal ideas and blog on stroke rehabilitation and stroke research. Do not attempt any of these without checking with your medical provider. Unless you join me in agitating, when you need these therapies they won't be there.
What this blog is for:
My blog is not to help survivors recover, it is to have the 10 million yearly stroke survivors light fires underneath their doctors, stroke hospitals and stroke researchers to get stroke solved. 100% recovery. The stroke medical world is completely failing at that goal, they don't even have it as a goal. Shortly after getting out of the hospital and getting NO information on the process or protocols of stroke rehabilitation and recovery I started searching on the internet and found that no other survivor received useful information. This is an attempt to cover all stroke rehabilitation information that should be readily available to survivors so they can talk with informed knowledge to their medical staff. It lays out what needs to be done to get stroke survivors closer to 100% recovery. It's quite disgusting that this information is not available from every stroke association and doctors group.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Safe, simple eye test may help save lives by preventing stroke
Labels:
prevention,
stenosis,
stroke risk
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