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Treatment can control the symptoms of the most common type of glaucoma and save someone’s vision. The catch is that a person can’t feel the changes in eye pressure that can damage vision, so they often won’t know they even have it before it’s too late. That is, unless they’ve been seeing an eye doctor regularly. One vision expert encourages people to not wait for that pressure to damage the optic nerve, but rather to preserve vision with regular health care. “Some people say they don’t need glasses, so they don’t need to see an eye doctor,” said Dr. Tara O’Rourke, an optometrist at Penn State Health Eye Center. “It’s important for everyone to have yearly eye exams to monitor the health of the eye, especially for patients over the age of 50.” About 3 million Americans have glaucoma, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. Half of those who have the most common type, open-angle glaucoma, don’t know they have it. In open angle glaucoma, the tiny canals that naturally drain away eye fluid become clogged. “The exact cause or mechanism of open angle glaucoma is unknown at this time. We can manage the eye pressure, but do not have a cure for the disease,” O’Rourke said in a… read on > read on >

Low doses of the eyedrops ophthalmologists use to dilate your pupils during an eye exam are not able to slow the progression of nearsightedness (myopia) in children, a new clinical trial has found. Atropine eyedrops at a concentration of 0.01% did not outperform placebo drops in slowing either myopia progression or elongation of the eye among children after two years of treatment, the study results show. The results contradict findings from other recent trials that showed a benefit from using low-dose atropine drops to arrest myopia, the researchers said. Stronger concentrations of atropine — 0.5% to 1% — have long been used by pediatric eye doctors to slow the progression of nearsightedness, the study authors said in background notes. However, such doses cause light sensitivity and blurry near vision when kids receive the drops nightly, the researchers said. Lower concentrations have fewer side effects, and so it was hoped that low-dose atropine would be effective. By 2030, it’s predicted that 39 million people in the United States will have myopia. By 2050, that number is expected to grow to 44 million in the United States and to 50% of the global population. The study enrolled 187 U.S. children between 5 to 12 years of age with low or moderate myopia. Low-dose atropine was randomly prescribed to 125 of the children, while 62 received placebo drops.… read on > read on >

Depression, suicidal thoughts and other mental health problems sent record numbers of American kids, especially girls, to emergency rooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once there, many waited days or even weeks to be admitted to the hospital, a new study reports. “The system was already stretched to begin with and then the pandemic hit and more people were seeking care,” said senior researcher Haiden Huskamp, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston. “There are just not enough providers, clinicians, facilities or inpatient beds.” For the study, Huskamp and her colleagues looked at data on more than 4 million health insurance claims for U.S. children ages 5 to 17. They discovered nearly 89,000 ER visits for mental health problems in this age group. Compared with 2020, the first year of the pandemic, ER visits rose 6.7% between March 2021 and February 2022, the researchers found. Visits by teen girls jumped 22%. During that period, hospital admissions for mental health issues rose 8.4% and the length of hospital stays increased by nearly 3.8%. Moreover, the wait for a hospital bed was 76% longer than during the year before COVID, researchers found. To ease the problem, Huskamp said several steps are needed. No. 1: The shortage of mental health providers and burnout among them must be addressed. “We need to help support primary… read on > read on >

Older adults who regularly spend time with family and friends may have bigger brains to show for it, a new study suggests. Healthy brain aging is a complex matter, and researchers are still trying to understand which factors keep the mind sharp and which ones feed declines in memory and thinking. But a number of studies have suggested that social life matters. Social stimulation is thought to help support mental acuity; on the other hand, social isolation in the golden years has been linked to an increased risk of dementia. Exactly why, though, is unclear. So for the new study, researchers led by Dr. Toshiharu Ninomiya, of Kyushu University in Japan, asked a different question: Is social isolation connected to older adults’ brain volume? The brain naturally “shrinks” to a degree as people age, reflecting the loss of nerve cells and their connections. But that tissue loss is accelerated during the dementia process. If older people who are isolated tend to have smaller brains, the researchers reasoned, that might help explain the link with dementia. It turned out there was indeed a relationship, although not a causal one, according to findings published July 12 in the journal Neurology. Among nearly 9,000 Japanese adults aged 65 and older, more than 600 said they “seldom” saw or spoke with friends or relatives outside their household. And those… read on > read on >

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the nation’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, a move that will likely pave the way for far greater access to contraception for Americans. Women will be able to buy the progestin-only oral contraceptive at drug stores, convenience stores and grocery stores, the FDA said. There is no age limit. Opill, which is made by Perrigo, should be available in stores starting in January or February, the Washington Post reported. The suggested retail price is expected to be announced this fall. Opill was first approved by the FDA in 1973. Other types of birth control pills will remain prescription only. “Today’s approval marks the first time a nonprescription daily oral contraceptive will be an available option for millions of people in the United States,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in an agency news release announcing the approval. “When used as directed, daily oral contraception is safe and is expected to be more effective than currently available nonprescription contraceptive methods in preventing unintended pregnancy.” The American Medical Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and other medical organizations already support over-the-counter access to hormonal contraception without age restrictions. The Free the Pill coalition also has been advocating for over-the-counter status for… read on > read on >

About one-fifth of American workers say their workplace is toxic, and many say their mental health is harmed as a result. The American Psychological Association (APA) questioned 2,515 employed adults in April for its annual Work in America Survey. Nineteen percent stated that their workplace is very or somewhat toxic. “The number of individuals who report experiencing a toxic workplace without protection from harm is troubling,” said Arthur Evans Jr., APA’s chief executive officer. “No one should feel fear at work. It is clear there is much work to be done to foster a positive work environment for all workers in this nation,” he said in an association news release. “Toxic workplace” is described as a place where infighting, intimidation and other affronts harm productivity. Such places of employment usually see high absenteeism, low productivity and soaring turnover, the report noted. Mental health is also likely to suffer. More than half (about 52%) of those who reported a toxic workplace felt work had harmed their mental health, compared to 15% of those who reported a healthy workplace. Some of the other findings: About 22% of workers overall said they experienced harm to their mental health at work. 22% said they experienced harassment at work in the previous 12 months, up from 14% in 2022. 22% said they had witnessed discrimination and 15% experienced it. More… read on > read on >

More than one-third of coupled Americans who want better sleep are opting for a “sleep divorce.” They’re not actually divorcing, but sleeping in another room so that they each sleep better. “We know that poor sleep can worsen your mood, and those who are sleep deprived are more likely to argue with their partners. There may be some resentment toward the person causing the sleep disruption, which can negatively impact relationships,” said Dr. Seema Khosla, a pulmonologist in North Dakota and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). “Getting a good night’s sleep is important for both health and happiness, so it’s no surprise that some couples choose to sleep apart for their overall well-being,” Khosla said in an academy news release. In a recent survey by the AASM, 20% of people said they occasionally slept in another room to accommodate a bed partner; 15% said they did so consistently. About 45% of men reported sleeping in another room occasionally or consistently. About 25% of women did this. Generational differences emerged, too. For example, 43% of millennials occasionally or consistently sleep in another room to appease a bed partner. About 33% of those in Generation X did this, 28% in Generation Z and 22% of baby boomers. “Although the term ‘sleep divorce’ seems harsh, it really just means that people are prioritizing sleep… read on > read on >

A bunch of healthy fruits and vegetables could be just what the doctor ordered. Nonprofit groups and public health agencies have experimented with the idea of a produce prescription over the years. Now, a new study simulates what would happen if patients with diabetes and diet-related conditions were given free or discounted produce and nutrition education nationwide. The researchers, from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, report it could have significant health benefits and save billions of dollars in health care costs. “Of the strategies that can improve American’s nutrition and diet-related health outcomes, evidence continues to build that produce prescriptions are a terrific option,” said senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition, who is also launching an initiative dubbed Food is Medicine. “These innovative treatments are exciting because they can not only improve health and reduce health care spending, but also reduce disparities by reaching those patients who are most in need,” he said in a university news release. The simulation predicted both clinical and financial benefits from making fruits and vegetables more accessible to food-insecure diabetic patients, including a savings of at least $40 billion in medical bills because of nationwide reductions in heart disease. Typically, produce prescription programs allow a patient with a diet-related health condition to get vouchers or electronic… read on > read on >

The cleanup of industrial chemicals following a freight train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, early this year released high levels of some dangerous gases, including acrolein, investigators say. The Norfolk Southern freight train was carrying numerous hazardous chemicals. To avoid a catastrophic explosion after the Feb. 3 derailment, authorities opted for a controlled release of gases, and they also burned the train cars’ contents, which included toxic vinyl chloride. But residents were worried about their health and environmental hazards, so researchers have been assessing the local air. Using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data, a team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and Texas A&M University determined that nine of 50 gases reached levels above their baseline, especially acrolein, a respiratory irritant. Researchers noted that if these nine compounds remained at those levels, breathing the air could pose health risks. However, the amounts of many pollutants decreased significantly as the month wore on. Vinyl chloride, for example, declined to concentrations below long-term limits of health concern. The researchers assessed the local air quality with stationary and mobile sampling methods, and reported their findings July 12 in the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Science & Technology Letters. The team, which included Albert Presto, a research professor from Carnegie Mellon, used air-quality monitoring data from two EPA stations at fixed locations. They also drove a cargo van… read on > read on >

A targeted treatment has had unprecedented success in shrinking a rare brain tumor, according to clinical trial results. These tumors are papillary craniopharyngiomas (PCPs), and the drug combo is called vemurafenib/cobimetinib. Each of 15 patients who received one or more cycles of targeted therapy responded to treatment, with an average 91% reduction in tumor size, Mass General Cancer Center researchers reported. PCPs can cause substantial health problems. They are typically treated with surgery and radiation, but incomplete removal of the tumor and toxicity from radiation can leave patients with lifelong health challenges after treatment. This can include neuroendocrine dysfunction, as well as vision or memory loss. “All patients who completed one or more cycles of therapy responded to treatment, which is the highest response rate to date of any medical therapy for brain tumors,” said study co-author Dr. Priscilla Brastianos, director of the cancer center’s Central Nervous System Metastasis Center. “These unprecedented results signal a paradigm shift for targeting brain tumors because they show that, with the right target and the right drugs, precision medicine can have a dramatic impact on brain tumors,” Brastianos added in a hospital news release. This was the first multicenter treatment protocol in this rare tumor, according to Mass General Cancer Center, which led the study. The findings were based on laboratory discoveries by researchers who studied the genetic drivers… read on > read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

Glaucoma: Spotting It Early Is Crucial

Low-Dose Eyedrops No Better Than Placebo for Nearsightedness Among Kids

Study Delivers More Evidence of a Mental Health Crisis Among Teens, Particularly Girls

Being Isolated May Shrink the Aging Brain

FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill

Nearly 1 in 5 Say Their Workplace Can Be Toxic, Poll Finds

In the Name of Better Slumber, a Third of American Couples Choose ‘Sleep Divorce’

Could ‘Produce Prescriptions’ Save $40 Billion in Medical Bills Among Those With Diabetes? Study Says Yes

Cleanup After Ohio Train Derailment Released Dangerous Gases: Report

Targeted Treatment Shrinks Rare Brain Tumors in Small Study