Optometrist: A health care professional who is licensed to provide primary eye care services:
* to examine and diagnose eye diseases such as glaucoma , cataracts , and retinal diseases and, in certain states in the U.S., to treat them;
* to diagnose related systemic (bodywide) conditions such as hypertension and diabetes that may affect the eyes;
* to examine, diagnose and treat visual conditions such as nearsightedness , farsightedness , astigmatism and presbyopia ; and
* to prescribe glasses, contact lenses, low vision rehabilitation and medications as well as perform minor surgical procedures such as the removal of foreign bodies.
* Find a local Doctor in your town
Decongestant: A drug that shrinks the swollen membranes in the nose and makes it easier to breath. Decongestants can be taken orally or by nasal spray. Decongestant nasal sprays should not be used for more than five days without the doctor's advice, and if so, usually only when accompanied by a nasal steroid. Many decongestant nasal sprays often cause a rebound effect if taken too long. A rebound effect is the worsening of symptoms when a drug is discontinued. This is a result of a tissue dependence on the medication. Decongestants should not be used by patients with high blood pressure (hypertension) unless under doctor's supervision.
Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy waves often used in medicine. 2. The use of energy waves to diagnose or treat disease. See also: Irradiation.
