July 2, 1999 HEALTH TIPS FROM UAB OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS
1. DRIVERS EXAMS NEED A CHECKUP Some UAB researchers think the eye tests used in some state driver's license exams are overdue for a checkup. Their recent study published in Survey of Ophthalmology found little evidence to support many popular vision tests. "Nearly all States test for visual acuity and colorblindness, although the research findings on their contribution to accident rates are mixed," says Cynthia Owsley, Ph.D., University of Alabama at Birmingham professor of ophthalmology. "Yet only about half of all states test for peripheral vision, which has a stronger link to greater crash risk than visual acuity or color blindness." Owsley says tests that measure the interaction of vision, attention and mental processing may be more valuable. Call Bob Shepard, UAB Media Relations, 205-934-8934/[email protected]. UAB News on the Web: http://www.uab.edu/news.
2. NEW USE FOR AN OLD DRUG The FDA has approved Fosamax as the first medication for treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become fragile and more likely to break. "Fosamax is a major therapeutic advance in the control of serious diseases that cannot be managed without glucocorticoids," says Kenneth Saag, M.D., M.Sc., University of Alabama at Birmingham professor of medicine who conducted clinical studies of the drug. Studies found Fosamax increased bone density and prevented fractures. More than 1.5 million Americans use glucocorticoids, commonly referred to as corticosteroids or steroids, to manage diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, asthma, emphysema and rejection of organ transplantation. The FDA first approved Fosamax in 1995 for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. Call Joy Carter, UAB Media Relations, 205-934-1676/[email protected].
UAB News on the Web: http://www.uab.edu/news.
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