HEALTH

People Join Hands to Help Woman Diagnosed with Rare Skin Disease:Three years back, Leslie-Anne Jenkins was diagnosed with a very rare kind of skin disease known as hyperkeratotic head and neck malassezia dermatosis that made her face look pathetic.
The treatment was so expensive that doctors were clueless about the medication of that rare skin infection. It seemed that they needed to invent a path breaking drug for providing treatment to Jenkins. Following the miserable state that Jenkins was in, she finally decided to seek help from the Health Ministry to provide finances for her disease that ended up costing her an astounding $600/month.
But instead of her request, the health ministry did not extend its helping hand to the poor lady but when the news flashed, surprisingly, people from all over Canada started sending donations and amazingly the required amount was arranged within three weeks.
Jenkins was overwhelmed to see, how unknown people extended a helping hand to provide her assistance. She further explained with great joy that she had no hopes that funds will be arranged for her treatment; but, the way people responded, it was something beyond her imagination.
She further said that it is unbelievable for her to know that unknown people sympathized for her and helped with the huge amount of money that was arranged within a period of three weeks only.

Half of 1.8mn glaucoma patients in Pak already blind : KARACHI: There are more than 1.8million glaucoma patients in Pakistan and almost half of them have already lost their eyesight, permanently, due to delay in diagnosis and treatment, a seminar on eye diseases was told here on Wednesday.

The seminar aimed at raising awareness about glaucoma was held at the Eye Department of Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).

Incharge Eye Department at Ojha Campus Hospital of Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) Dr Mirza Shafiq Baig said the glaucoma is the major cause of blindness not only in Pakistan but the whole world. He regretted 90percent population in the country has no awareness about this disease, resultantly, more and more people are becoming permanently blind in Pakistan due to untreated glaucoma.

Dr Baig said patients of blood pressure and diabetes must care for their eyes and regularly checked their eyes from qualified ophthalmologist so as to preserve their eyesight.

President of Ophthalmology Society of Pakistan and eye expert at the Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) Dr Shahid Wahab asked for raising awareness about eye diseases. He urged people after 30 years of age should get their eyes regularly checked. He said prompt diagnosis of glaucoma is necessary as treatment of this disease with medicines is very costly and beyond reach of common man.

General Secretary Ophthalmology Society of Pakistan Dr Qazi Wasif said unfortunately there are no clear-cut symptoms of glaucoma and many patients find them suffering from this disease when it has already reached advanced stage. He demanded of the government to initiate massive glaucoma screening programs for saving people of rural and far-flung areas from glaucoma and other eye ailments.

Dr Tariq Saleem of Prevention and Control of Blindness said in Pakistan two percent of glaucoma patients are children, which is a worrisome factor. He said every year dozens of children suffering from glaucoma are referred to the Eye Department of Civil Hospital Karachi.

Incharge Eye Department at Sindh Government Hospital New Karachi Dr Menhajuddin Shaikh said people with glaucoma running in their families should get their eyes screened as they are more prone to catch this disease. He said patients of constant headache, eye strain, blood pressure and diabetes should also give more attention to their eye health. He warned that self-medication in case of eye diseases must be avoided as it might backfire.