ABSTRACT
A frequent occurrence in geriatric and chronically ill patients is the exhibition of several simultaneously occurring and confounding health problems. This paper reports the case of a 61-year-old-white male who presented with an extensive history of multiple brain infarcts, hemiparesis, personality changes and varied visual complaints. Tests in the neurooptometric work-up for this patient included static automated perimetry, stereoacuity and optokinetic nystagmus evaluation. The results were suggestive of multiple cerebrovascular accidents which included the right and left occipital lobes as well as the right parietal lobe. This clinical picture was complicated by the presence of nutritional or ethanol-induced optic neuropathy. Emphasis was placed on a detailed sequential history of events and a complete neurological and optometric evaluation to ascertain the multiple foci of cortical infarction. Corroboration of clinical findings was obtained by computerized axial tomography (CT scan).
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/complications , Cerebral Infarction/diagnosis , Occipital Lobe , Optic Nerve Diseases/diagnosis , Parietal Lobe , Ethanol/adverse effects , Fundus Oculi , Hemianopsia/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Nystagmus, Physiologic , Occipital Lobe/diagnostic imaging , Optic Nerve Diseases/etiology , Parietal Lobe/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Visual FieldsABSTRACT
We evaluated the effectiveness and convenience of microwave irradiation as a method of disinfecting soft contact lenses. Soft contact lenses from each of the four Food and Drug Administration (FDA) categories were placed in sterile vials and immersed in 2 ml of saline which had been contaminated with one of three common species of bacteria. The contaminated lens vials were placed in a standard 600 W microwave oven and exposed to microwave irradiation times ranging from 30 to 180 s. Significant reductions in bacteria colony counts were found after 30 s of microwave irradiation. Few of the bacteria survived 60 s of microwave exposure and none survived 90 s. Our findings indicate that microwave disinfection can be an effective and rapid means of killing bacteria on soft lenses and in the storage solution. However, further studies are necessary to determine the minimum exposure time required, the effect of microwave disinfection on other microorganisms, and the effect of microwave irradiation on contact lens polymers and lens dimensions.
