Dr. Grossman’s Blog

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Just because you can buy something over the counter doesn’t mean it cannot hurt you.

A review of cases published in the The New England Journal of Medicine shows that “poppers,” legal recreational drugs common in club culture, can cause light sensitivity and vision loss in some individuals.

In an article by HealthDay Reporter, researchers say, “poppers — a catch-all term for alkyl nitrites that are often inhaled by partyers for a brief ‘head rush’ and to increase sexual arousal — may compromise the normal workings of photoreceptor cells found in a key region of the eye’s retina.”  They go on to explain that “nitric oxide is known to affect the metabolism of photoreceptors and can also alter the operation of a key enzyme involved in photoreceptor function.”

Researchers did note that those who stopped taking poppers seemed to recover over a period of several months.  Experts do not yet agree fully on the correlation between the use of this drug and the damage to the eyes; some believe evidence is simply anecdotal at this stage and that more formal research is necessary.

Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=120899

Get further information on drugs that harm the eyes.

Iritis is an inflammation of the iris and occasionally includes the ciliary body (the circumferential tissue inside the eye located behind the iris). In iritis, small white blood cells from the inflamed area and excess protein leaked from the small blood vessels inside the eye float into the aqueous fluid between the iris and the cornea.

The symptoms include: redness, throbbing pain, light sensitivity, tearing, and the pupil of the affected eye may become smaller.

The cause of iritis is unknown, but it generally runs its course in six to eight weeks.

For natural treatment options for iritis, please visit our website: http://www.naturaleyecare.com/diseases.asp?d_num=19