I'm an eye doctor and this is the dangerous condition on the rise that everyone is missing... you must take this simple precaution to save your vision as you age
Linked to prolonged UV exposure, it is commonly found in people living in sunny regions – including many parts of Australia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
'Failings' in care for cricket legend in the months before he took his own life
There were 'failings' in the care for former England cricketer Graham Thorpe in the months before he took his own life, a coroner has said. The 55-year-oldwas not seen by care professionals in person for over four months, despite them knowing that Thorpe was 'constantly asking for help to end his life'. The cricket star died on the morning of August 4, 2024, after being struck by a train at a railway station in Surrey. Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded a conclusion of suicide at the inquest but said there had been 'shortcomings' in Thorpe's care. Thorpe 'spiralled into depression' after losing his job as a batting coach in 2022 and had tried to take his own life on another occasion. The coroner said the cricketer was last seen by healthcare professionals in person on March 26, 2024. He missed an appointment with the community mental health team on June 28 that year. That is when the care coordinator, Katie Johnson, spoke to Thorpe's wife Amanda, who reported that her husband was 'constantly asking for help to end his life'. Thorpe later told Johnson himself that he 'didn't see the point of being here' but did not plan on acting on suicidal thoughts. The coroner said 'someone should have gone to see' the 55-year-old to assess him after it was clear he 'found it hard to attend' appointments offered to him. 'Come see me in two weeks' was 'not an appropriate response,' he added. Stevens said that 'protective measures' should have been introduced in June 2024, similar to when Thorpe was given in-patient treatment over suicidal thoughts in May 2023. The inquest heard that those responsible for Thorpe's care judged he was in a 'crisis situation' after learning he had asked his wife 'for help to end his life'. The coroner rejected that, saying: 'I don't accept that when Graham was constantly asking his wife to help him end his life, which was a new presentation… that he was not at that point in crisis.' Stevens added: 'In my judgment there were shortcomings in the care that should have been provided to Graham in the last four months or so of his life.' However the coroner said the evidence did not point to the 'failings' in Thorpe's care being gross, so could not conclude Thorpe would not have died if not for the failings. He added there was no evidence for a finding of neglect. Thorpe's family said they hope the coroner will 'address concerns' regarding the cricketer's care before his death. Their representative said they hope coroner will address the 'shortcomings' so that such a loss 'never happens again'. Thorpe's wife Amanda spoke outside Surrey Coroner's Court with a message to the loved ones of others who struggle with their mental health. She said: 'Reach out for help, and you are not alone. There is help out there. Keep going. Things will get better.' More Trending The inquest heard previously that a leaked video of Tasmanian police breaking up a drinking session between England and Australian cricket players in 2022 was 'blown out of all proportion' and the fallout left Graham 'distraught'. Amanda said it was a 'horrible' time, and the later termination of his employment with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was 'the 'start of the decline of his mental health'. Thorpe was a mainstay in the England set-up for many years, first as a batter between 1993 and 2005 before spending 12 years in coaching roles. During a distinguished international career, he struck 16 Test hundreds for England, including a debut century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, and represented his country 182 times in all formats. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Coroner rules what really happened to Jay Slater when he died in Tenerife MORE: Ashes drinking video leak caused Graham Thorpe to 'spiral into depression' MORE: Ben Stokes is the leading man as classic England v India Test series produces compelling drama
Times
a day ago
- Times
How much do NHS doctors really earn? Here are the facts
Any British tourists unfortunate enough to be admitted to hospital in Australia will find themselves comforted by the sound of familiar accents. Thousands of doctors have fled the NHS for life down under in recent years, lured by the promise of better pay and year-round sunshine, meaning Brits outnumber Australian doctors on some wards. The British Medical Association has warned Wes Streeting that without action to improve pay and working conditions this exodus of doctors from the UK will continue. Last year a survey by the General Medical Council (GMC) found that more than one in ten NHS doctors were planning to move abroad in the next 12 months. Australia is by far the most popular destination, favoured by half, followed by Canada, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. • Who is on the BMA committee behind junior doctors' strike? While they will definitely get more sunshine, can resident doctors — formerly known as junior doctors — really expect to earn more if they leave the NHS for the other side of the world? According to BMA figures, a resident doctor in the NHS who is fresh out of medical school earns a base salary of £36,616. With overtime and on-call shifts, this rises to about £45,000. Doctors earn more the greater their experience: a second-year doctor starts on a salary of £42,008, while resident doctors with several years' experience earn £70,425 — again, topped up by evenings and weekends. A first-year doctor in Australia earns about £47,530, according to the BMA's calculations. The most highly qualified resident doctors in Australia earn £83,532 — 23 per cent higher than they could earn in the NHS. • Loosening strike rules could cause havoc for employers However, while English doctors are worse off in take-home pay than Australians, those working in the NHS have much more generous pensions. Doctors receive a 23.7 per cent pension contribution from the NHS. They are among the few workers who still have salary-linked defined benefit pensions, which pay a guaranteed and inflation-proof income. These pensions are often worth about 75 per cent of doctors' salaries in retirement. Someone who started as a foundation doctor (their first year of training after medical school) eight years ago, when the basic salary was £27,146, will have already built up a guaranteed annual pension income of £8,084, according to the wealth manager Quilter, which is significantly more generous than private sector equivalents. Medicine is a career path where you can quickly progress onto a higher salary. After going through specialty training — which takes about six years — and qualifying as a consultant, doctors earn a basic salary starting at £109,725. The latest NHS figures show the average consultant in the NHS earns £145,000 a year. • Why furious health bosses are braced for painful battle with BMA If doctors opt to become a GP, they earn an average of £140,200 as a GP partner, and £69,200 as a salaried GP. The Nuffield Trust shows that progression means doctors' pay rapidly escalates, despite real-terms cuts in base salaries. A report by the think tank said: 'The trend in average salaries for resident doctors does not reflect the experience of individuals, whose pay will also typically benefit from career progression. 'As a way to demonstrate this, if a newly qualified first-year foundation doctor in 2017 (with a starting salary of £26,614) continued straight through to core/specialty training then their pay would have nearly doubled to £50,017 within four years, representing a 75 per cent real-terms increase. Within eight years, by 2025, their basic salary could have been over four times higher (£109,725), or more than doubled (211 per cent) in real terms.' Senior doctors are among the best paid workers in Britain. 'Specialty registrars' average NHS earnings were higher than the salaries of nearly nine in ten of the wider workforce, while GP partner and consultants' NHS earnings sat between the 98th and 99th percentiles,' the Nuffield Trust report said. However, the BMA argues that consultant pay on the NHS is still significantly below other countries, including the Republic of Ireland, meaning consultants are moving abroad for better pay.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Child dies from brain-eating amoeba after doing favorite summertime activity
A child from South Carolina died of an infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba after visiting a popular local lake to go swimming. No name or age has been released for the young patient, but the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) stated that exposure likely occurred at Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina. The child was treated at Prisma Health Children's Hospital but he later died from complications related to a Naegleria fowleri infection. Officials announced that the case was confirmed on July 7. Naegleria fowleri is commonly called a brain-eating amoeba because it causes a brain infection that is typically fatal. Official records show 164 people in the US were infected with the disease between 1962 and 2023, of which only four survived. The child had gone swimming at Lake Murray and he was diagnosed on July 7. The lake was originally constructed to provide hydroelectric power to all of South Carolina and it was once the world's largest man-made reservoir. Today, it draws tens of thousands of visitors with dozens of picturesque beaches and swimming spots, along with fishing and sailing activities. There had been no prior warnings about the lake being contaminated with bacteria or other harmful organisms and health experts say that despite the recent incident, there is not an elevated risk associated with the body of water. The US only suffers a handful of deaths from brain-eating amoebas each year, usually among people swimming in warm water lakes and rivers. Texas is among the states that have suffered the largest burden of brain-eating amoeba cases, with 39 of the 164 cases recorded in the US occurring in the Lone Star state. While Naegleria fowleri infections remain rare, there is concern that they may become more common due to climate change. The single-cell organism, which thrives in warm waters, kills 97 percent of the people it infects as it causes a disease called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, also known as PAM or amebic meningitis. Initial symptoms include a headache, vomiting and nausea. A person can then suffer cognitive issues and a stiff neck as things progress. It causes severe swelling, and eventually rotting, of the brain and spinal cord. This will almost always eventually lead to death. There are no known effective treatments for PAM. Only several Americans have ever survived after being infected with Naegleria fowleri. This includes Caleb Ziegelbauer from Florida, who was 13 years old at the time he was stricken by the microscopic species. Caleb is now walking somewhat but the damage done to his brain means he needs to communicate with facial expressions and has to use a wheelchair. Officials believe the South Carolina child was infected while swimming in their local lake. The incident is not the first case of a Naegleria fowleri infection in South Carolina and there have also been other deaths linked to to the organism over recent years. In June, a 71-year-old woman from Texas contracted an infection and died from Naegleria fowleri after she rinsed her sinuses with tap water from an RV's water system at a campground. And in 2023, a 16-month-old toddler from Arkansas died after coming into contact with the same one-celled organism at a water playground with fountains and jets. The amoeba, which is 1,200 times smaller than a dime, enters the body through the olfactory nerve which connects the upper nose to the brain. This gives it a short and direct route into the brain. If water containing the amoeba enters the nose, it will likely lead to infection. Ingesting water through the mouth is ok because stomach acid is strong enough to kill the amoeba. The nose is its only route. Once a person's olfactory nerve is exposed, it can take around one to nine days to start experiencing symptoms. They will usually die within five days of symptoms first appearing. 'It's quite rapid, it's very progressive. It literally eats the brain tissue,' Dr Anjan Debnath, a parasitologist at the University of California San Diego, explained. Because of the rare infection, doctors also often misdiagnose symptoms as meningitis - wasting valuable time that could be used to treat the parasite. He describes the infection as taking part in two stages. The first is relatively minor, with the person experiencing a headache and other flu-like symptoms. This means that unless a doctor knows that a person has been swimming in untreated water they may not even suspect the amoeba. Once symptoms reach the second stage, a person will start experiencing severe neurological issues like seizures. A doctor will then likely find out about the infection through a spinal fluid test. America suffers around three cases of the amoeba each year. They will almost always occur over summer, when many families flock to local lakes and ponds for a daytime outing. Dr Debnath still advises against swimming in untreated water over summer, especially in places like Florida and Texas where temperatures get exceptionally high. Because the amoeba only resides in fresh water, swimming in the ocean is generally safe. If families do choose to visit a freshwater beach, anyone entering the water should wear a nose clip to prevent water from entering their nose. Dr Debnath also recommends against kicking up dirt or sand from the bottom of the lake as warmer areas deep down are where the microscopic beings usually lie. What is Naegleria fowleri? Naegleria fowleri is an amoeba that 'literally eats the brain tissue,' according to Dr Anjan Debnath, a parasitic disease expert at the University of California, San Diego. It thrives in warm climates in freshwater including hot springs and lakes. Improper water treatment in pools, private ponds and even tap water can lead to deadly exposure to the amoeba as well. The amoeba travels up the nose where it has a direct route to the brain. Once a person's olfactory nerve in the nose is exposed, symptoms typically come on within one to nine days. Those who are infected will usually die within five days of symptoms first appearing. Early stage symptoms resemble those of the flu.
