I have heard of so many older people having cataract surgery. Is it inevitable for everyone? - C.R., Tel Aviv Dr. David Varssano, a leading cataract expert at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, answers: When we are born, all but a few have an almost perfectly clear lens in their eyes. As the years pass, this lens (we ophthalmologists call it the crystalline lens) becomes less and less clear. A 40-year-old lens certainly looks more opaque than a 10-year-old lens. However, that is not enough to reduce vision, and therefore it requires no surgery. Eventually, each lens would become so opaque that vision through it will be too blurred. That lens is then called a cataract. At that point, surgery can be beneficial. As more and more people celebrate their 70th, 80th and 90th birthdays, they reach the stage when their lenses become cataracts, and these can and should be operated on. So, the reason cataract is diagnosed and operated on more is merely because our health keeps getting better. Any kind of surgery has its risks. However, cataract surgery is a very safe and successful procedure. It evolved very much during the last 50 years and keeps getting better and safer. My three children, all between three and four and a half years old, recently came down with a case of diarrhea. We put all three on a diet of rice, chicken soup, dry bread sticks and pro-biotic yogurt and the younger two got over it quickly. The oldest, however, suffered for almost a week. Is there any sense in putting kids on this diet? - A.B., Jerusalem Prof. David Branski, chief of pediatrics at the Hadassah University Medical Centers in Jerusalem, replies: If there is no dehydration due to severe diarrhea, especially if there is no vomiting, there is no need for a special diet. However, it is recommended that a child eat less complex and spicy food. Of course, yogurt, rice and chicken soup, as well as bread, eggs, banana and apples are recommended. Adding probiotics (beneficial bacteria) - which are found in lower concentrations in yogurt - is also recommended. In cases of diarrhea, three samples of feces should be sent for a culture to detect parasites and viruses such as rotavirus and adenovirus. I put on face cream and makeup in the morning. I first put on face cream and wait a couple of minutes. Then I put on suntan lotion and wait around 10 minutes so it can be absorbed. Then I put on makeup. Could it be that the makeup removes some of the suntan lotion? - L.F., via e-mail Veteran Jerusalem dermatologist Dr. Julian Schamroth replies: There are several types of sunscreens with several modes of action. Some - such as those containing zinc oxide - act much like an umbrella as a physical barrier or screen against the sun: Therefore, it doesn't matter if the cream is put over, or under, one's makeup. These creams often appear white on the skin, are not waterproof and will wash off by wiping the skin or swimming/bathing in water. The vast majority of sunscreens, however, act by absorbing certain wavelengths of light. They usually contain an ingredient that binds to the skin. It follows that if one first puts on makeup, the sunscreen will be unable to bind to the skin and can be easily wiped off. These sunscreens are usually colorless and - because of the binding properties - are waterproof. Since they bind to the skin within 10 to 15 minutes, it follows that wiping or washing the face after this period will not remove them. A final bit of advice: When painting a wall in the house, the painter will always apply two coats - an undercoat and then the final top coat. For best protection against the sun, you should use the same technique when applying sunscreen. Apply a second layer five minutes after applying the first "coat." Rx for Readers welcomes queries from readers about medical problems. Experts will answer those we find most interesting. Write Rx for Readers, The Jerusalem Post, POB 81, Jerusalem 91000, fax your question to Judy Siegel-Itzkovich at (02) 538-9527, or e-mail it to jsiegel@jpost.com, giving your initials, age and residence.
