Importance Of Cholesterol Screening Tests

A person’s health is greatly affected by the cholesterol level. Higher blood cholesterol puts a person at risk for coronary heart disease or stroke. Multiple cases of strokes are reported annually in the Glen Oaks area alone. So it is recommended to be aware of your cholesterol levels. For this purpose, you need to go for appropriate screening.

What is the cholesterol screening process?

• High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) can be measured during a cholesterol screening in any clinic in the Glen Oaks area.  A blood sample is evaluated at the same time when other tests included in the procedure are being conducted. Usually the samples are taken at the same time and your blood sample is examined in a lab.

• It is advised by the doctors to avoid consuming food, medicines or beverages for nine to twelve hours prior to the blood test. The parameters being examined can be affected by the consumption of food, which may lead to inaccurate results.

• Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Doctors interpret the numbers based on other risk factors like blood pressure, family history and smoking.

How often you should get your cholesterol checked?

• In case you have been diagnosed with a heart condition and are above 20 years of age, then it is recommended that you get your cholesterol levels examined every once in awhile.

• You can have your cholesterol tested more often to mitigate other risk factors. Your doctor can give apt solutions based on your reports.

It is best to get yourself tested under the supervision of a primary doctor. Once you know the results, your doctor can suggest required treatment and an effective prevention plan, as well as follow-up testing.

In case you are going to public screening to get your cholesterol tested, make sure it is conducted by a reputed company. Cholesterol levels are integral in your overall cardiovascular profile. Timely detection of high levels can be controlled and further risks can be mitigated through a preventive action plan.

Understanding Glaucoma - The Eye Disorder

Glaucoma is an eye-disorder, which often causes blindness, if not prevented beforehand. Glaucoma can damage the eye’s optic nerve and deteriorate vision over time. This is associated with abnormally high pressure inside the eye.

Causes of glaucoma

According to theories, glaucoma might be due to abnormal eye development, eye infection, drugs, or no supply of blood to the eye. However, the exact reasons behind optic nerve damage are still not certain.

Symptoms of glaucoma

Gradual loss of vision is a major symptom of glaucoma. A few other symptoms that might also cause glaucoma include-

• Severe headache
• Sudden loss of eyesight
• Nausea and vomiting
• Flashes of light
• Redness of eye
• Severe eye or eyebrow pain
• Hazy or Blurred vision
• Appearance of rainbow colored circles around bright lights

Risk factors of glaucoma

As signs and symptoms are not easily apparent, it is difficult to know if anyone is suffering from glaucoma. Following are a few possible risk factors about which one should be aware-

• Age – People around the age of 40s or 60s and above are at a risk of glaucoma.

• Family history – This is a genetic problem. If anyone in a family is suffering from glaucoma, then it is possible that other members in the family may also develop this disorder.

• Medical conditions – Medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart diseases are also the reasons behind glaucoma. People suffering from these health issues are prone to the glaucoma problem.

• Long-term medication use – Intake or use of medicines such as eye drops for a longer duration of time can also cause glaucoma.

• Other risk factors – Besides the above mentioned risk factors, a few other risk factors that can cause this problem include-
• Contraceptive medications
• Nearsightedness
• Sleep disorders
• Migraine

Diagnosis process

Medically there is no cure for glaucoma eye disease. The only way to prevent is regular examination of eyes. Eye specialists recommend people to go for regular eye tests in every three to four months.

Glaucoma tests include following medical testing procedures-

• Tonometry - Examining the inner eye pressure
• Ophthalmoscopy - Examining the shape and color of the optic nerve
• Perimetry -Examining the complete field of vision
• Gonioscopy –Examining the angle in the eye where the iris meets the cornea
• Pachymetry –Examining the thickness of the cornea