Cataracts

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to research cataracts. A cataract is the clouding of the lens in the eye. Cataracts can drastically affect your vision and more than half of all Americans by the age of 80, have cataracts or have had cataract surgery. To learn more about cataract surgery, click on the link below to watch my presentation or the other link to look at the power point I created.

Cataract Presentation

Cataract Power Point

Glaucoma

Today, I had the opportunity to research Glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye condition usually related to increased eye pressure that damages your optic nerve. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in individuals over the age of 60 and is often hereditary. To learn more about Glaucoma click on the link below!

Glaucoma

Diabetic Retinopathy

A complication of diabetes that affects the eyes is diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the retina (the back of the eye). Diabetic retinopathy will mostly likely affect both of your eyes. This condition can develop for any person that has type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The longer that you have diabetes paired with less controlled blood sugar, the more likely you are to get this condition. To read more on the research that I did on Diabetic Retinopathy, click on the link below!

Diabetic Retinopathy

Achromatopsia

For my November project, I decided to research Achromatopsia. Achromatopsia is a condition that is characterized by partial absence of color vision or total absence of color vision. Achromatopsia occurs due to genetics and the functioning of the cones in your retina. To learn more about Achromatopsia, click on the link below to watch my presentation or click the link to my Prezi! Thanks for watching!

Achromatopsia Presentation

My Prezi

History of Present Illness

Correctly taking the history of a patient is vital in an individual's exam. To further better my understanding of this, I was able to research information on how to record a patient's history. This article focused on the four major elements of history that affect the level of them exam. These four elements are: Chief Complaint, History of Present Illness, Review of Systems, and Past medical, family, and social history. To read my notes, click the link below!

 History of Present Illness and more!

London Cab Drivers and their Hippocampus

For my third project, I decided to research London Cab Drivers' Hippocampus. Scientists have found that the hippocampus (the memory center of the brain), in London cab drivers is larger than that of a similar individual of the same age, level of education, and intelligence. To watch my presentation, click on the link below to Auburn Optical's youtube page! You can also click on the link below to my powerpoint. Thanks for watching!

Presentation on Youtube
PowerPoint

Herpes Zoster

Over the course of my time here, I have been given the opportunity to research different infections, medications and much more. On July 15, I was able to research Herpes Zoster. Herpes Zoster is a virus in the form of varicella (chicken pox), resulting in herpes zoster (shingles). This virus lies dormant for years but can be reactivated to cause shingles with blisters over the affected nerve area. To learn more about Herpes Zoster and how it forms, click on the link below!

Herpes Zoster

Immunizations

My second project was a project that was health-related. For this project, I decided to research the immune system and immunizations. There are many different types of immunizations and most people regularly get immunizations such as flu shots but do not know exactly what they are. To learn more about the immune system watch my presentation by clicking on the link below to Auburn Optical's Youtube channel or the link to the Prezi I made. Thanks for watching!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q8TGLFg_v8

https://prezi.com/view/zfTerQDIGruxzhz1dOEX/

VYZULTA

Today I had the opportunity to research the eye drop VYZULTA. VYZULTA is a prescription eye drop that may help reduce intraocular (eye) pressure in people with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. VYZULTA helps lower eye pressure by increasing drainage of fluid from the eye. Lowering intraocular pressure can help reduce the risk of vision loss due to glaucoma. To read more about VYZULTA and its benefits, click the link below!

VYZULTA eye drops

Keratitis Corneal Ulcer

I had the opportunity to research Keratitis Corneal Ulcers and Acanthamoeba! 

Infectious keratitis and corneal ulcers refer to the invasion of an infectious organism, such as bacteria, into the cornea. It should be noted that while relatively infrequent, a corneal ulcer is the most serious complication of contact lens wear.  Keratitis is an inflammation or irritation of the cornea (the transparent membrane covering the iris and pupil) characterized by typical symptoms of red eye, foreign body sensation, pain, sensitivity to light, watery eyes, and blurred vision.

Acanthamoeba is a microscopic, free-living ameba, or amoeba (single-celled living organism), that can cause rare, but severe infections of the eye. The ameba can be spread to the eyes through contact lens use, cuts, or skin wounds or by being inhaled into the lungs. Factors and activities that increase the risk of contracting Acanthamoeba keratitis include using contaminated tap or well water on contact lenses, using homemade solutions to store and clean contacts, wearing contact lenses in a hot tub and swimming or showering while wearing lenses. A dirty lens case also can be a source of Acanthamoeba infection.

To learn more about Keratitis Corneal Ulcers and Acanthamoeba, click the link below!

Keratitis Corneal Ulcers and Acanthamoeba

Asteroid Hyalosis

As a Co-op at Auburn Optical, I have the opportunity to research topics I wish to learn more about. For my first project, I decided to research Asteroid Hyalosis. Asteroid Hyalosis is characterized by calcium deposits in the vitreous humor and visually resembles a snow globe. To learn more about Asteroid Hyalosis, click on the video below or on the link to Auburn Optical's Youtube channel, and the link to the power point I created. I also attached some pictures of the model I created to represent an individual's eye with Asteroid Hyalosis. You can also go check out Auburn Optical's Facebook page to watch Facebook live videos of monthly presentations done by the 2018-2019 Co-ops.

Video and Youtube link:
Asteroid Hyalosis Presentation

Powerpoint link:
https://prezi.com/view/kPIxKSERfgugF3QyjTkX/

Pictures: