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Medication Assistance Programs
If you're like many Americans, coping with the cost of medications can be burdensome, even with help from various health insurance plans. More...
Cataracts: Is it Only a Matter of Time?
If youre age 60 or older and dont have any sign of cataracts, chances are you will soon. In the United States, 75 percent of people over age 60 have some sign of cataracts. In fact, cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in the United States with over 1.6 million operations performed annually. More...
AMD Questions Answered
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that affects the maculathe central, most critical part of the retina for providing sharp vision. In the United States, AMD is the leading cause of severe and irreversible loss of central vision in people over age 50. More than seven million Americans have some evidence of AMD; close to one million have the advanced form of AMD. The prevalence of severe vision loss from AMD increases with age: Most people with impaired vision from AMD are 60 or older. More...
Nine Common-Sense Tips to Help You See Better When You Drive
Do you sometimes have trouble seeing clearly when you drive especially at night? In this Health Alert, Johns Hopkins provides practical advice to help you see better and drive more safely. More...
Drugs for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Are They Too Expensive?
The effectiveness of treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an important issue, but so, too, is their cost. In a study reported in the journal Retina (volume 30, page 212) three widely used therapies for age-related macular degeneration -- pegaptanib (Macugen), ranibizumab (Lucentis) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (Visudyne) -- were investigated for their treatment outcomes as well as their Medicare-associated costs. More...
How Diabetic Retinopathy Affects Vision
It's estimated that more than four million Americans with diabetes age 40 and over suffer from diabetic retinopathy a serious condition that can lead to vision loss. What is diabetic retinopathy and how does it affect the eye? Read on for a brief explanation. More...
New Technologies to Brighten Low Vision
Assistive devices for people with low vision have come a long way since the days of clunky magnifying lamps and magnifying glasses. New technologies can help you see better, increase your independence and help you conduct transactions online from the comfort of your home. Here are several devices you might want to try. More...
Lowering IOP Through Exercise
If you've just been diagnosed with glaucoma, youll want to do everything you can to remain as healthy as possible for as long as possible. Can exercise help you achieve this goal? While the mainstay of glaucoma therapy remains lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) with medication, laser treatment or surgery, some evidence suggests that a regular exercise program can help support your medical therapy. More...
A Look at Two Alternative Treatments for AMD
Are you thinking about trying an alternative therapy to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD)? Like anyone with a serious illness, you might be tempted to try something that sounds like a miracle cure. But beware, snake-oil salesmen abound. More...
How to Make the Most of Limited Vision and Mobility
Taking a brisk walk is tough to do when you can't see well. Even a short stroll can become a dangerous obstacle course as you swerve to maneuver curbs, check traffic and avoid bumping passersby. Still, some people with limited vision clip along quite well, and researchers at Johns Hopkins are trying to understand why some fare better than others -- and which of their lessons can be passed along. More...
Staying on Track With Your Glaucoma Regimen
If you've ever taken any medication for more than a few weeks, you know how difficult it can be to stick to a strict drug regimen. If you have glaucoma, following the prescribed regimen may be an even greater challenge. Not only might you need to use glaucoma eyedrops multiple times each day, but you also need to get them into your eye -- a more complicated task than swallowing a pill. More...
Focus on the Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL)
Cataract surgery involves removing all or part of the lens and replacing it with an intraocular lens implant (IOL). The quarter-inch plastic lens implant is typically inserted into the lens capsule behind the iris (posterior chamber intraocular lens). However, when the lens capsule is absent, a different kind of intraocular lens may be inserted in front of the iris (anterior chamber intraocular lens). More...
How Early Should You Treat People at Risk for Glaucoma?
Eye pressure that is higher than the normal range is an important risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma the most common form of glaucoma. Early treatment reduces the risk of developing open-angle glaucoma, according to the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study, but should all ocular hypertensives be treated, and if not, is there harm in waiting on treatment for those at lower risk? More...
How Hypertension Can Put Your Vision at Risk
If you have ever experienced love at first sight, you know that the heart and the eyes share an intimate connection. Unfortunately, the eyes and the heart are also linked in a less romantic way: through hypertension, or high blood pressure. More...
Blue-Blocking Intraocular Lenses and Insomnia: Is There a Link?
During cataract surgery the patients lens is removed and a plastic intraocular lens (IOL) implant is inserted. Once inserted, lens implants require no care. As with any device, however, complications can occur. Recently a reader asked us: "After my husband's cataract surgery, he started having trouble sleeping. Could his blue-blocking intraocular lenses be responsible?" Heres what the research suggests. More...
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Health Topic Pages
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Arthritis
- Prehab Helps Rehab
- Arthroscopic Surgery for Knee Osteoarthritis: Consensus and Controversy
- How to Avoid Weight Gain After Joint Replacement Surgery
- Easing Foot, Ankle and Knee Pain With Orthotics
- Which Should You Choose: Ankle Fusion or Ankle Replacement?
- Xarelto: A New Drug for New Joints
- Tai Chi for Fibromyalgia: Should You Try It?
- More Alerts...
- Arthritis in Your Ankle? You've Got Choices!
- Gentle Workouts Relieve Arthritis Pain
- Whats the Link Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cancer?
- Gout and Soda: Whats the Connection?
- Joint Replacement: It's Not Just Knees and Hips
- Fibromyalgia: Understanding a Mysterious Ailment
- Chronic Lyme Disease vs. Post-Lyme Disease
- More Special Reports...
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Back Pain
- How to Avoid a Pain in the Neck
- Simple Steps to Help You Prevent Falls
- Run Out of Options? A Pain Treatment Facility Can Help You Cope
- Research Update: Manual Mobilization Improves Kyphosis
- 5 Tips to Help You Maintain a Healthy Back
- The Alexander Technique: An Alternative Therapy for Chronic Back Pain
- Improving Posture to Prevent Back Pain
- More Alerts...
- 9 Exercises to Strengthen Your Back
- Back Pain Is It All in Your Head?
- Advice To Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep With an Aching Back
- A Back-Strengthening Program
- An Imaging Arsenal for Diagnosing Back Pain
- Corticosteroid Spinal Injections for Back Pain Relief
- Back Pain and Osteoporosis Glossary
- More Special Reports...
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Cancer
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Caregivers | Caregiving
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Colon Cancer
- Fiber Consumption and Colon Cancer: Whats the Link?
- Does Regular Exercise Reduce the Risk of Colon Cancer?
- How to Recognize the Ten Signs of Colorectal Cancer
- Chemobrain A Side Effect of Chemotherapy
- 10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Your Colon Cancer Diagnosis
- Colonoscopy Prep Advice
- Do Colon Polyps Always Lead to Colon Cancer?
- More Alerts...
- The Promise of Personalized Colon Cancer Therapy
- How Old Is Too Old for Colorectal Cancer Surgery?
- In the Pipeline: Biomarkers for Detection of Colorectal Cancer
- Flat Colon Lesions: Cause for Concern?
- Making Your Colonoscopy Count
- Coping With the Mental Side Effects of Chemotherapy
- Surviving the Emotional Aftershock of Colorectal Cancer
- More Special Reports...
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Complementary Medicine
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Depression and Anxiety
- Should You Take Fish Oil for Depression: Part 2
- Should You Take Fish Oil for Depression: Part 1
- Do Sleep Disorders Cause Mood Disorders or Vice Versa?
- The Exercise Prescription
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder May Lead to Long-Term Heart Problems
- Bipolar Disorder Type 1 or 2: How to Tell the Difference
- Research on Bright-Light Therapy for SAD and Bipolar Disorder
- More Alerts...
- Treating Mood Disorders With Hallucinogenic Drugs
- Facing Your Fears With Exposure Therapy
- Why Older Women Have Eating Disorders
- What Happens When Stress Doesn't Go Away
- The Pain-Mood Connection
- Report on Substance Abuse and Aging
- Anxiety and Your Physical Health
- More Special Reports...
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Diabetes
- Nine Tips to Help You Stay in Good Control During an Illness
- Should You Add Byetta or Victoza to Your Diabetes Regimen?
- How Diabetic Retinopathy Affects Vision
- The Promise of the Artificial Pancreas
- Checking Your Blood Glucose: Make It a Habit
- Which Comes First: Diabetes or Depression?
- Sugars and Sugar Alcohols: Whats the Difference?
- More Alerts...
- Prediabetes: Meeting an Epidemic With New Treatment Goals
- Looking Out for Number One: Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease
- Traveling Safely With Diabetes
- Understanding How Insulin Regulates Blood Glucose
- The Role of Insulin in Blood Glucose Control
- Getting a Better Look at Blood Sugar Levels
- Making Sense of Type 2 Diabetes Medications
- More Special Reports...
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Digestive Health
- Ask the Doctor About Heartburn Treatment
- Considering the Safety Concerns of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs)
- Here's What Works for IBS
- IBS: Common and Frequently Misunderstood
- Advice to Help You Avoid Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea
- Ask the Doctor About GERD
- Depression & Celiac Disease: A Growing Problem
- More Alerts...
- On the Horizon: Two New Surgical Treatments for GERD
- Focus on Peptic Ulcers
- Life Without a Gallbladder
- 7 Tips to Help You Reduce Bloating
- How Your Gut Can Affect Your Bones
- What to Expect From Your Endoscopy
- Four Relaxation Techniques to Soothe Your Digestive Discomfort
- More Special Reports...
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Enlarged Prostate
- Promising Therapy for Chronic Prostatitis
- Prostate Anatomy 101
- TURP, TUMT, TUEV, TUIP, PVP and TUNA: What Do They Mean?
- Diagnosing BPH With Special Diagnostic Tests
- Questions on BPH, Sex and ED
- Should You Try Saw Palmetto for Your BPH Symptoms? What We Recommend
- Should You Have a PSA Screening Test? Johns Hopkins Responds to Recent USPSTF Recommendations
- More Alerts...
- Two-Drug Options for BPH
- Do You Have BPH? Take This Prostate Symptom Questionnaire to Find Out
- PVP or TURP for BPH?
- In the Pipeline: New Treatments for BPH
- BPH: New Discoveries May Lead to Better Treatment
- What Does It Mean? PSA Terminology Explained
- More Special Reports...
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Exercise and Fitness
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Healthy Living
- Goodbye Pyramid, Hello Food Plate
- Banish Bunion Pain with Advice from Dr. Chattler
- Do You Still Need a Pap Test?
- Tracking Down Zostavax, the Vaccine for Shingles
- Research on Compression Stockings to Prevent Blood Clots
- Advice to Help You Stay Healthy When You Travel
- Guidelines on Alcohol Consumption: How Much Is Too Much?
- More Alerts...
- Do You Have a Thyroid Disorder?
- Impulse Control: The Link Between Parkinson's and Gambling
- The Pain-Mood Connection
- Your Cosmetic Dentisty Options
- How the FDA Approval Process Works
- Are You At Risk For Gallstones?
- Breathe Easier With An Air Purifier
- More Special Reports...
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Heart Health
- Are Biventricular Pacemakers Overprescribed? What the Research Suggests
- The Potential of Stem Cell Therapy to Heal the Heart
- Test Your Heart Health IQ
- 5 Critical Steps to Stop an Angina Attack
- When Lifestyle Changes Are Not Enough: Statin Medication for Lowering Cholesterol
- 10 Steps to Lower Triglycerides
- Migraines Linked to Risk of Heart Attacks
- More Alerts...
- The Research on Psoriasis and Cardiovascular Disease
- Cardiac Rehab Works: Heres How
- Protecting Your Heart With Whole Grains
- What You Should Know About C-Reactive Protein
- Zapping Abnormal Heart Rhythms
- Ways to Boost Your HDL Cholesterol
- The Best Screening Tests for People Without Symptoms of Heart Disease
- More Special Reports...
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Hypertension and Stroke
- Measuring Blood Pressure, Two Arms Are Better Than One
- Blood Pressure Matters At Any Age
- Diuretics: A NEW Look at an OLD Medicine
- Taking a Look at the Stroke-Weight Connection
- Does High Blood Pressure Increase the Risk of Dementia?
- Understanding the Two Types of Stroke
- Sleep Apnea Linked to Increased Stroke Risk
- More Alerts...
- Hypertension and Your Sex Life
- Are You At Risk For Vascular Dementia?
- Can You Pass the Stroke Symptom Test?
- Controlling Difficult-to-Control Hypertension
- When Your Heart Feels Like It's Skipping a Beat
- Guidelines on Controlling Pain Without Raising Your Blood Pressure
- Get Moving To Lower Your Blood Pressure
- More Special Reports...
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Knee Replacement Surgery
- Is Age an Obstacle to Knee Replacement Surgery?
- Weighing the Pros and Cons of Knee Replacement Surgery
- Resuming Physical Activities After Your Knee Replacement
- Minimally Invasive Knee Replacement Surgery
- Female Knee Replacements
- After Knee Replacement Surgery: Rehab and Recovery
- What Happens During Knee Replacement
- More Special Reports...
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Lung Disorders
- Are You Taking Your Inhaler as Prescribed? Heres Advice That May Help
- From Research: New Anti-Inflammatory for COPD
- Can Inositol Reverse Damage Caused by Smoking?
- Legionnaires Disease: Underreported and Still a Cause for Concern
- Can Vitamin D Ward Off Colds and Flu?
- Lung Cancer: When Nonsmokers Are Affected
- Sleep Apnea Linked to Increased Stroke Risk
- More Alerts...
- Bronchoscopy: Taking a Closer Look
- Planning Ahead: The Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney
- On the Horizon: A New Treatment for COPD
- Four Steps to Better Asthma Control
- COPD: Catching the Silent Killer
- Home Monitoring for Sleep Apnea
- Looking At How The Lungs Work
- More Special Reports...
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Memory
- Six Key Signs That Memory Loss May Be Serious
- Is Your Loved One Overmedicated?
- A New Take on What Causes Alzheimers
- Advanced Dementia: Why Do Some Skills Remain?
- Evaluating the Aging Driver: 10 Signs That Its Time To Give Up the Keys
- Alzheimers vs. Primary Progressive Aphasia -- Whats the Difference?
- Forgetfulness, Confusion and Disorientation -- Symptoms of Chemobrain
- More Alerts...
- Food for Thought
- Your Aging Brain: Whats Normal, Whats Not
- Does Light Therapy Help Alzheimers Patients Sleep?
- Habilitation: A Better Caregiving Approach
- Guarding Your Memory
- Activities to Engage the Dementia Patient
- Caregivers -- The Hidden Patients
- More Special Reports...
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Men's Health
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Nutrition and Weight Control
- Staying Hydrated: How Much Should You Drink?
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplements: Do You Really Need Them?
- 10 Tips to Keep Your Food Safe When the Power Goes Out
- Goodbye Pyramid, Hello Food Plate
- Advice to Help You Get More Fiber in Your Diet
- BMI Isnt the Only Way To Evaluate Your Weight: Here Are Others
- Gaining Weight? It Could Be Your Medication
- More Alerts...
- Making Sense of Health Claims
- 7 Easy and Effective Weight-Loss Strategies
- The Wisdom of Cutting Back on Salt
- The Psychology of Mindless Eating
- 7 Strategies to Rev Up Your Aging Metabolism
- Changing Behavior to Lose Weight
- Dietary Supplements: Yea or Nay?
- More Special Reports...
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Osteoporosis
- Does Consuming a High-Protein Diet Increase the Risk of Osteoporosis?
- Should You Consider Vertebroplasty? Heres What the Research Suggests
- Recovering From a Hip Fracture: What to Expect
- Personalizing Your Fracture Risk with FRAX
- The Sobering Facts About Hip Fracture
- Rethinking the Role of Protein-Rich Diets in Osteoporosis Prevention
- Osteoporosis Screening: When Should You Start?
- More Alerts...
- Talking About Hip Fractures with Dr. Bellantoni
- Osteoporosis: Not Just a Womans Disease
- Osteopenia: To Treat or Not to Treat?
- Osteoporosis and Digestive Disorders
- Is it Ever Okay To Discontinue Your Osteoporosis Medication?
- 6 Exercises To Help Build Bone Strength and Help Prevent Osteoporosis
- Calcium Supplements Still Count
- More Special Reports...
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Prostate Disorders
- Prostate Anatomy 101
- Advice on Taking Viagra After Prostate Surgery
- Recognizing the Symptoms of Chemobrain A Side Effect of Chemotherapy
- Taking a Close Look at Lupron Depot for Treating Prostate Cancer
- Urinary Incontinence: A Common Side Effect of Prostate Cancer Treatment
- Understanding the TNM Prostate Cancer Staging System
- True or False: Prostate Cancer Growth Is Faster in Black Men?
- More Alerts...
- A New Look at Cryosurgery
- Planning Ahead: The Living Will and Durable Power of Attorney
- Should You Take Proscar to Prevent Prostate Cancer?
- Proton Beam Therapy for Prostate Cancer
- Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer
- Taxotere: Chemotherapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer
- Testosterone-Replacement Therapy: Does It Increase Prostate Cancer Risk?
- More Special Reports...
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Sexual Health
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Vision
- Medication Assistance Programs
- Cataracts: Is it Only a Matter of Time?
- AMD Questions Answered
- Nine Common-Sense Tips to Help You See Better When You Drive
- Drugs for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Are They Too Expensive?
- How Diabetic Retinopathy Affects Vision
- New Technologies to Brighten Low Vision
- More Alerts...
- Glaucoma and Your Genes
- Your Glaucoma Treatment Options
- What You Should Expect After Cataract Surgery
- 4 Promising Treatments for AMD
- Glaucoma: A Family Matter
- How the Eye Works
- Advice To Help You See Better When You Drive
- More Special Reports...
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Womens Health
- Health Alert
- Special Report