The Year In Medicine From A To Z

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If you don't like contact lenses and you are one of the 3 million Americans whose corneas are the wrong thickness or shape for LASIK eye surgery, Advanced Medical Optics may have the lens for you. Called the Verisyse phakic intraocular lens, it is the first permanently implanted lens to correct nearsightedness that has been approved by the FDA. In trials over three years, 92% of myopic patients with 20/400 vision or worse improved to 20/40 vision; 44% of patients achieved 20/20 vision. One thing to keep your eye on: the implants take a toll on the endothelial cells that keep the cornea clear, and nobody yet knows whether this loss is harmful in the long term. For the time being, the FDA recommends the new lens only for eyes with a robust population of endothelial cells.

VITAMIN E

On the hit parade of supplements, few are as popular as vitamin E. For decades, millions of health-conscious Americans have taken their daily dose hoping that its antioxidant properties would help ward off heart disease, cancer and even Alzheimer's. Yet a review of 19 clinical trials involving more than 135,000 participants concluded that taking high doses of the vitamin (400 international units or more) may actually increase overall mortality and should be avoided.

The study was quickly rebutted by researchers defending E's virtues. While no one believes the vitamin will--or should--fall from dietary grace, don't expect the debate over megadoses of E to end anytime soon.

Z

ZINC

Studies showing its benefits are still not conclusive, but that has not stopped zinc from becoming a popular cold remedy in the U.S. And enthusiasm for zinc is spreading overseas. Johns Hopkins scientists working with colleagues in Bangladesh found that adding zinc to traditional antibiotic treatment helped children ages 2 to 23 months recover more quickly (by a day or so) from severe pneumonia. In Iran, doctors added zinc to the widely prescribed methylphenidate (Ritalin) therapy for children with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder and found that after six weeks, the kids on zinc experienced fewer distractions and had less difficulty concentrating. In that instance, the zinc supplements may be regulating the brain chemical dopamine, which controls feelings of pleasure and reward.