ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the role of cross polarized spectacles in the treatment of photosensitivity demonstrable by EEG. METHOD: Patients receiving an EEG who tested positive for photosensitivity were invited to participate in the study. The most sensitive light flicker frequency causing a photic response was determined for each patient. Stimulation was repeated with 2 different pairs of spectacles--1 conventionally polarized and the other cross polarized. An EEG was obtained in each case and reported by a neurophysiologist who was unaware of the identity of the 2 types of spectacles. RESULTS: We tested 19 patients, 8 to 18 years of age. Two patients did not benefit from either pair of glasses. In 17 patients, the photic response was greatly diminished or eliminated by polarizing spectacles. In 1 patient, conventional polarized glasses helped, but the cross polarized spectacles did not. In 6 patients, both types of spectacles were equally effective; in 10 patients, cross polarized spectacles were more effective than conventionally polarized spectacles. CONCLUSION: The role of cross polarized spectacles in the management of photosensitivity in a clinical situation merits further investigation.
Subject(s)
Epilepsy, Reflex/therapy , Eyeglasses , Adolescent , Child , Electroencephalography , Epilepsy, Reflex/diagnosis , Epilepsy, Reflex/etiology , Female , Humans , Light/adverse effects , Male , Photic StimulationABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of placebo and GLA on the course of mild diabetic neuropathy over 1 yr. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We entered 111 patients with mild diabetic neuropathy from seven centers into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled parallel study of GLA at a dose of 480 mg/day. MNCV, SNAP, CMAP, hot and cold thresholds, sensation, tendon reflexes, and muscle strength were assessed by standard tests in upper and lower limbs. RESULTS: For all 16 parameters, the change over 1 yr in response to GLA was more favorable than the change with placebo, and for 13 parameters, the difference was statistically significant. Sex, age, and type of diabetes did not influence the result, but treatment was more effective in relatively well-controlled than in poorly-controlled diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS: GLA had a beneficial effect on the course of diabetic neuropathy.
Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use , Diabetic Neuropathies/drug therapy , Linolenic Acids/therapeutic use , Analysis of Variance , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/physiopathology , Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/physiopathology , Diabetic Neuropathies/physiopathology , Double-Blind Method , Female , Humans , Linolenic Acids/adverse effects , Male , Middle Aged , Motor Neurons/drug effects , Motor Neurons/physiology , Neural Conduction/drug effects , Neurologic Examination , Neurons, Afferent/drug effects , Neurons, Afferent/physiology , Reflex , gamma-Linolenic AcidABSTRACT
Routine clinical electrophysiological techniques assess function in the large diameter, motor and sensory nerve fibres, but not in the smaller diameter fibres subserving pain, thermal sensation and autonomic function. The instrument we describe measures thermal sensation thresholds to both cooling and warming thus providing an index of function in the small diameter thinly myelinated A delta fibres and unmyelinated C fibers respectively. A commercial version, the Thermal Threshold Tester (TRIPLET) provides a portable instrument for routine clinical use. It has a particularly important role in the sequential and quantitative monitoring of small nerve fibre function as for example in diabetic neuropathy. It can also be applied to the study of small nerve fibre function in persons exposed to potentially neurotoxic substances either as medication or in industry.
