The public should be wary if they experience sudden eye “blackouts” or blurry vision, ophthalmologist Hsu Min-yan (許閔彥) said on Monday, citing cases where marathon runners suffered eye strokes due to extreme dehydration.
A 37-year-old man was hospitalized at Chungshan Medical University Hospital in 2014 for rhabdomyolysis, or the breaking down of muscle fiber, after running a marathon and complained of blurry vision a year later, Hsu said.
The central veins of the patient’s right retina were almost entirely clogged, and the macular region was swollen due to an edema, he said.
An injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) saved the man’s right eye, and two more injections left the patient with 20/30 vision, Hsu said.
The patient’s condition has stabilized over the past two years, and he has not complained of the blurriness for nearly a year, he said.
However, it was the man’s job — working near the furnaces in an iron factory — that was the suspected reason for the eye stroke and his rhabdomyolysis, Hsu added.
An eye stroke is caused by the occlusion of retinal veins in the center of the retina, which may lead to edema of the macular region, Hsu said, adding that the blurry vision, or even possible loss of sight, is due to lack of oxygen to the photoreceptor cells in the retina.
The reason behind eye strokes is unknown, and could be due to age or chronic hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, he said.
Two percent of people over the age of 40 suffer from various degrees of branch or central retinal vein occlusion and some have suffered an eye stroke because of dehydration, Hsu said.
Strenuous exercise should be accompanied by ample rehydration, Hsu said, adding that people in high-risk groups — those over the age of 60 or suffering from the three “hypers” — should immediately visit a doctor if they experience a sudden loss of or blurry vision.
The National Health Insurance program covers anti-VEGF therapy, which usually takes upwards of two to three years to complete, he added.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard