ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 1996 TAG: 9604100016
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Health Notes
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
Singer Crystal Gayle has probably dazzled many a guy, and most recently she distracted a pharmacist who writes for Knight-Ridder newspapers. He used her "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" song to explain an unfortunate side effect of a newly approved drug for treatment of glaucoma.
The pharmacist wrote that latanoprost eyedrops turned some brown, hazel or brown-green eyes blue, and this newspaper reported his comments March 12.
And isn't our face red!
It seems that latanoprost actually turns some blue-green eyes BROWN by causing a darkening of the iris, said a vigilant Christiansburg ophthalmologist, who wanted to keep his name out of this.
The eye color change also only happens in 0.8 to 2 percent of the patients, according to a story in the January issue of Review of Ophthalmology. Two of the six members of the FDA panel, which recommended approval of the drug, voted "no" because they were concerned about the effects of the color change.
Lantanoprost apparently is free of the potentially serious side effects associated with beta-blocker drugs such as timolol, which is widely used for treating glaucoma.
Ketogenic is here
Last week, this column talked about the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet as a possible treatment for seizures in young children and directed anyone interested to the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. That's where the diet was developed.
Good news. Community Hospital of Roanoke Valley also administers the ketogenic diet following the Johns Hopkins guidelines.
The best candidates for the diet are children 8 and younger, and getting started includes about a three-day hospital stay, said a Community Hospital spokeswoman.
Marrow'thon
A 5K run and 2K walk are scheduled April 20 at Green Hill Park in Salem to raise money for the Marrow Donor Center of the Virginias. A registration fee of $12 ($15 after April 12) is required.
For many patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia or other blood diseases, a bone marrow transplant is the only hope for survival. The center is attempting to get more people registered as potential donors and to publicize the need for donors. Call 985-3523 for more information.
Mammography test
The University of Virginia Diagnostic Center for Women needs volunteers to test a new mammography machine that UVa professors helped design. Thermotrex/LORAD collaborated with UVa on the design of the machine, which also is supported by nearly $500,000 from the National Institutes of Health.
The machine does digital imaging of the breast, which is supposed to be more efficient at detecting abnormalities on mammograms in younger women and in any woman with dense breast tissue or multiple lesions, said Dr. Laurie Fajardo, one of the designers. Fajardo is an associate professor of radiology.
Mark Williams and Hong Liu, assistant professors of radiology and co-designers for the machine, have worked for several years on digital detectors for mammography. The UVa machine has the potential to reveal lesions as small as 1/20th of a millimeter.
Federal Drug Administration trials on the machine began in November and have included 75 volunteers. The trials will go through the end of the year. Women interested in participating in the study should call (804) 982-2572 or 924-5194.
You can reach Sandra Brown Kelly at 981-3393 or through e-mail at skelly2180@aol.com
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