We can't afford to turn a blind eye to myopia.

BACKGROUND: Myopia is becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the world. It is an overlooked but leading cause of blindness, particularly among the working aged population. Myopia is often considered benign because it is easily corrected with glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery. Traditionally myopia has been classified into physiological and pathological subtypes based on the degree of myopia present. Higher levels of myopia are associated with increased risk of pathological complications but it is important to note that there is no safe level of myopia. Even low levels of myopia increase the risk of retinal detachment and other ocular comorbidities which will be discussed in detail later. The most serious complication, myopic maculopathy, is the only leading cause of blindness without an established treatment and therefore leads to inevitable loss of vision in some myopes, even at a young age. AIM: To highlight the current myopia epidemic and the sight threatening complications associated with it. DESIGN: This is a commissioned review article. Data were gathered by performing a literature review, searching the PubMed database for recent articles regarding myopia. CONCLUSIONS: Myopia is a potentially blinding disease. By identifying at risk individuals and intervening before they become myopic, eye care practitioners can prevent or delay spectacle use, reduce the risk of the myriad of myopic complications, thereby improve the patient's quality of life and positively impact its socio-economic effects.

[Research in possibility of rational use of antihistamines among elderly people from the perspective of safety and economic accessibility.]

The article is devoted to the research in possibility of rational use of antihistamines among elderly people taking into account Beers criteria and STOPP/START criteria which can prevent irrational use of medicines by senior consumers. Antihistamines that are not recommended for elderly people treatment were identified. Economic accessibility of antihistamines allowed for use among people aged 65 and over was evaluated.

[The presence of anti-allergic antihistamines for consumers in older age groups].

The work investigated the availability of the antihistamines for consumers aged 45 years and older. The main factors reducing accessibility: self-healing, low frequency of references to the doctor if you have allergic reactions, failure to comply with medical appointments, low level of awareness about the use and side effects.

[Morphofunctional changes in the thyroid gland of golden hamsters during acclimatization to a temperature of 4 degrees C]. / Morfofunktsional'nye izmeneniia shchitovidnoi zhelezy zolotistykh khomiakov pri dlitel'noi akklimatsii k temperature 4 gradusa C.

Morphological and physiological peculiarities of the thyroid gland have been studied in the golden hamster (Cricetus auratus W.) exposed to prolonged acclimation at +4 degrees C. These heterothermal rodents, kept constantly under laboratory conditions at +18-+20 degrees, show no distinct seasonal changes in the thyroid activity. As demonstrated by morphological findings, a relatively high activity of the gland persists throughout the whole year. At a prolonged acclimation to cold (up to 3 months, +4 degrees), the thyroid activity increases both in golden hamster, and in homothermal rats. Morphological indices of the hyperactivity are as follows: hypertrophy of the gland occurring by the 20th--30th days of exposure and increasing since then; hyperplasy of the granular tissue; colloid vacuolation; strong vessel hyperemy. However, the size of cells is not increased as are likely to retain a partial activity which is evidenced by the presence of tracks. Intensification of the thyroid function is also expressed by the increase in 131(uptake and output rates as well as by the increase in the protein bound iodine content in the blood of hamsters. Changes of the thyroid gland in acclimated animals occur independently of the season and photoperiod. It is shown that the degree of adaptation to prolonged action of cold, is more pronounced in golden hamsters than in rats. It has been also demonstrated that golden hamsters tend to hibernate after a prolonged cold acclimation.