Category: E

Victims of eye injuries are advised to seek prompt medical advice if the injury is at all serious or does not resolve with simple first-aid measures — for example, by washing out a foreign body using an eye bath. Eye injuries can result from either a direct blow to the eye or the penetration of…

A form of treatment in which the cure of the patient is left mainly to nature, while the physician simply watches for any unsatisfactory developments or symptoms, and relieves them if they occur.  

Sometimes called Grave’s disease, this is a disorder in which there is overactivity of the thyroid gland, protrusion of the eyes, and other symptoms.  

A type of laser that is used to remove thin sheets of tissue from the surface of the cornea, thus changing the curvature of the eye’s corneal surface. The procedure is used to excise diseased tissue or to correct myopia, when it is known as photorefractive keratectomy or lasik. An inert substance added to a…

An intravenous agent for inducing general anaesthesia prior to surgery or other procedures that require the patient to be unconscious. When the drug is injected intravenously, pain sometimes occurs, but this can be minimized by premedication with an opioid analgesic.  

Also known as disodium etidronate, this is one of a group of substances called  bisphosphonates used mainly to treat Paget’s disease of the bone. The drug is given orally and, when combined with calcium carbonate (Didronel), it is used to treat osteoporosis and to prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women, especially if hormone replacement therapy…

A highly active oestrogen — about 20 times more active than stilboestrol; it is active when given by mouth. Ethinylestradiol is a synthetic version of the female sex hormone estradiol. It is commonly used in oral contraceptives, where it is combined with a progestogen drug. On rare occasions, ethinylestradiol is also utilized in hormone replacement…

The process by which erythrocytes or red blood cells are produced. The initiating cell is the haemopoietic stem cell from which an identifiable proerythroblast develops. This goes through several stages as a normoblast before losing its nucleus to become an erythrocyte. This process takes place in the blood-forming bone-marrow tissue.    

The emotional nature and characteristics of sexual arousal. This may occur as a result of visual, auditory or physical stimuli and also as a result of sexually oriented memories or imaginings. The essence and emotional aspect of sexual excitement can be complex. It can be provoked by a range of factors, including erotic thoughts, stimulation…

An antiplatelet drug, best given under the supervision of a specialist. It inhibits the aggregation of platelets in the blood that occurs in thrombus formation, and is used with heparin and aspirin to prevent early myocardial infarction in patients with unstable angina pectoris.