Xerophthalmia

Overview

Xerophthalmia is pronounced “zeer-of-thal-mee-uh” or “zeer-op-thal-mee-uh.” The Greek root words literally mean “dry eye.”

While the group of conditions that is xerophthalmia includes dry eyes, it covers other signs and symptoms that affect your eyes. Xerophthalmia is caused by a lack of vitamin A and can cause blindness.

The vitamin A deficiency can happen in two ways:

You don’t get enough vitamin A in your diet.
Your body can’t use the vitamin A you do get effectively.

How common is xerophthalmia?

According to the World Health Organization, there are some 254 million children worldwide with vitamin A deficiency. There are about 2.8 million children with xerophthalmia. In addition, it causes about 350,000 cases per year of childhood blindness, making it the leading cause of blindness in children.

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Symptoms

When to see a doctor

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Complications

Blood clots are a dangerous complication of atrial fibrillation (AFib). Blood clots can lead to stroke.

The risk of stroke from AFib increases as you grow older. Other health conditions also may increase the risk of a stroke due to AFib. These conditions include:

High blood pressure.
Diabetes.
Heart failure.
Some types of heart valve disease.

Blood thinners are commonly prescribed to prevent blood clots and strokes in people with atrial fibrillation.

Prevention

Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of heart disease and may prevent atrial fibrillation (AFib). Here are some basic heart-healthy tips:

Control high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Don't smoke or use tobacco.
Eat a diet that's low in salt and saturated fat.
Exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week unless your health care team says not to.
Get good sleep. Adults should aim for 7 to 9 hours daily.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Reduce and manage stress.

By Freedmans Health Clinic Staff

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