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photo credit: Joel Franusic

Unsightly warts can be removed at home, however if your wart is on your face, you may wish to have it removed quickly and therefore it you should seek professional advice.

Home wart removal can take between several days or two weeks depending on the size and age of the wart.

Apart from buying professional remedies across the counter there is an easily obtained substance you can use at home. As you are reading this article in all probability to find immediate help with wart removal, I’m going to come straight to the point of how to remove a wart at home.

The substance you require is apple cider vinegar from your local food store. It doesn’t cost very much. You also need some cotton wool which you can make into small cotton balls, and some easily torn duct tape, or larger Band-Aid type plasters.

Make a small cotton ball to cover of the size of the wart and dip that in the apple cider vinegar. Squeeze out the access until the ball is comfortably moist without leaking, place over the wart, and make a bandage from a small amount of duct tape, or plaster. If you’re using a plaster you may have to remove the majority of the cushioning pad.

Change the cotton ball and re-bandage at least once every 24 hours. The wart will turn white and puffy and begin to die over a few days as it starts to blacken and shrivel from the centre outwards, starting with black spots in the centre.

When the wart turns completely black allow it to dry by placing clean dry cotton wool under the bandage, and it will harden and fall off. Alternatively if it is convenient, remove the bandage and let it air dry. Depending how deep the wart is a small part may still remain. You may have to repeat the treatment.

Some people report pain in their warts when treating them, others report no pain. I would say it is largely depends where your wart is, and how easily it can be knocked, pressed, or brushed when you’re undergoing treatment.

A little care and common sense should ensure a reasonably pain free wart removal.

Tags: home wart removal, remove a wart, help with wart removal, pain free wart removal



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Glaucoma is an ongoing disease whereby your vision slowly and insidiously deteriorates because the optic nerve is gradually over a period of time being destroyed.

You cannot feel it happening as it happens so gradually that you don’t actually notice the change in your vision. The disease is usually revealed by an optometrist during a routine eye examination.

Glaucoma is not an age related problem. Frighteningly, anyone can be affected from children to young adults, middle-aged adults and the elderly. It can be hereditary, but unfortunately there is no cure to the condition. However, there is good news in that the damage can be minimised with early diagnosis.

You are probably familiar with the term blood pressure. There is also a pressure within the eye which is known as intra-ocular pressure (IOP). At one time Glaucoma was thought to be caused by pressure in the eye increasing due to the blockage of drainage channels, however medical opinion seems to have moved away from this theory as Glaucoma can occur even when the pressure inside the eye is normal. Undoubtedly intra-ocular pressure is one cause of the condition.

There are many forms of Glaucoma, the two most common being Open Angle Glaucoma, and Angle Closure Glaucoma.

The optometrist or it could even be the ophthalmologist if you are in hospital, performs a simple test during an eye examination which reveals whether your intra-ocular pressure is normal or abnormal. Additionally they look carefully at the blood vessels and the optic nerve for damage.

If anything is found advice will be given in relation to additional tests to determine how advanced the condition has become. Usually there will be some sort of communication with your doctor in relation to a hospital appointment.

As I previously mentioned Glaucoma has no cure, but I also mentioned that early diagnosis can lessen any damage that may occur. The trick of course is catching the disease by having regular eye examinations.

Personally I remember having an eye examination at about five years old at school. However I had no further eye examination until the age of 45. Luckily I do not have the disease.

I’d only vaguely heard of Glaucoma up to that point. I think it would be safe to say that my parents were ignorant of the disease as well, because Glaucoma is not something that runs in our family. Knowing what I know now, tells me that what should have been happening, was that every member of our family should have been taking regular eye examinations every five years or so as we all got older.

Regular eye examinations are important if Glaucoma is found in your family, as the disease can be hereditary. It is also vitally important to know your family history. Glaucoma is thought to be genetic so if your grandparents or parents have the disease the chances are good that you may have it too.

I cannot stress the importance of this. Regular routine eye examinations are the only way of catching Glaucoma and getting early Glaucoma treatment. So if you or members of your family have never had an eye test, I strongly advise that you make an appointment for one without delay. If you are unfortunate to have the disease you will be very glad you did.

Tags: glaucoma, glaucoma treatment, eye examination



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Explaining Optometry can be difficult because most people are unsure of the differences between an Optician, an Optometrist and an Ophthalmologist.

Primarily, the difference is in training and knowledge. The Ophthalmologist is the medical surgeon who performs complicated surgery in hospital theatres and is the highest qualified of the three. Naturally the Ophthalmologist can also do the job of an Optometrist, the next lower qualified position.

The Optometrist can write prescriptions for corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses), but can also perform minor medical procedures on the eye. Both the Ophthalmologist and the Optometrist can perform eye examinations to determine the degree of correction that needs to be prescribed. When you go for an eye test the person who you will see will be an Optometrist.

It is the Optometrist who will help you with minor eye problems such as a stuck contact lens, or perform the actual insertion of your lenses onto your eyes.

Lastly comes the Optician, and they are of course qualified to make, adjust, repair, and fit lenses and frames, and it is they who actually make your glasses.

Technically speaking when you say you’re off to see the Optician, actually you’re not. You’re going to see the Optometrist.

Tags: optometry, ophthalmologist, optometrist, optician, eye care



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