Dr Shucri Shawaf

To all the Optometrists I worked with through my career, I wish you a very happy World Optometry Day. Dears, I can't cherish enough all your indispensable help through the years!
Thank you for being thereforme and the patient.

Wishing all mothers a very happy day.... week, month, year.... and every day of their life

Ramadan Mubarak to All

The bigger the TV screen, the better the viewing experience, right?
Well, not always. It depends on the size of the room, as sitting too close to the television causes eye strain, especially when watching for a long period of time
Calculate it yourself
Minimum safe distance (MSD, inch) = TV size x 5 (meter)
e.g.
42 inch TV: MSD = 2.1 meter
60 inch TV: MSD = 5 meter
Does your room fit? 😊

Sunglasses on cloudy days

The sun is the source of ultraviolet light (uv) which is very harmful to our eyes. Sunglasses are our main protection against it.
With clear sky 100% of UV reaches us. Clouds decrease transmission, but never annuls it. Even on days when you cannot see the sun, you are still getting significant UV exposure (30% with overcast skies). Therefore, wear your sunglasses even on a cloudy day, especially when skiing

Ramadan Kareem to all.

This week is World Glaucoma Awareness week.
In this occasion I cannot but stress the importance of Routine Glaucoma Screening for people above age 40. Glaucoma is a silent disease and can steel your vision without any symptoms.
Screening is quick and easy, but it can save your vision.
هذا الأسبوع هو أسبوع الجلوكوما العالمي.
في هذه المناسبة لا يسعني إلا أن اذكر بأهمية الفحص الدوري للجلوكوما لكل الأشخاص فوق عمر الأربعين.
أن الجلوكوما او الماء الأسود (الأزرق في الخليج ) مرض صامت يسرق النظر دون أن يشعر المريض بأي عوارض (لذا يعرف أيضآ بالسويرق).
الفحص سهل وسريع لكنه قد ينقذ عينيك.

Happy New Year!
Wishing everyone a better year full of wealth, health, love and happiness

Hi there,
I am consulting at Khoury Hospital BMG. Hamra, Abdul Aziz street, Beirut

Stye?
A small painful pimple on the eyelid that grows without obvious reason. Antibiotic eyedrop helps treating it. However, warm-to-hot compresses are also very important. Do not forget!

Examining your child's eyes at an early age [3 to 3.5 years old] is of prime importance since we can discover some diseases that we can treat at an early age. Delaying treatment or waiting for the child to become older as many parents think is a huge mistake. These days we are taking all precautions regarding corona so no need to be afraid

Please be advised that I am now available at New Vision Eye Center in Dubai Healthcare City
For appointments contact 044519595 or feel free to call me directly on 0507818613 for further details and inquiries
Dr Shucri Shawaf, Ophthalmologist (Eye Specialist)

Back to school
Do you know that vision problems are a very common cause of poor school achievement?
Have you had you dear child eyes examined before going back to school?
Hurry up and book an appointment with your eye doctor to make sure

العودة الى المدرسة
هل تعرف أن ضعف النظر هو من أكثر أسباب الفشل في الانجاز المدرسي؟
هل أحضرت ابنك أو ابنتك لفحص العيون قبل العودة الى المدرسة؟
أسرع واحجز موعدا مع طبيب العيون اتطمئن

معتقدات خاطئة: يظن الكثيرون أنه لا يمكن فحص نظر الأطفال لأنهم لا يتعاونون. الصحيح أننا نستطيع فحص نظر أي طفل مهما كان صغيرا. لكل عمر طرقه وأجهزته
A wrong Myth: Many think that it is impossible to examine young children eyes since they do not cooperate. The truth is that we can examine children at any age. For each age we have the special methods & tools

Before and after Squint surgery
قبل وبعد جراحة الحول

Tip of the week
Teach your children to wear swimming goggles to protect their eyes from infection (if chlorine is less than needed) or toxicity & allergy (from excess chlorine)
نصيحة الأسبوع: علموا أولادكم لبس نظارات السباحة لحماية عيونهم من الالتهابات (الناتجة عن الكلور القليل) أو الحساسية (من كثرة الكلور)

Yesterday we screened Virgin Mobile employees as part of Mediclinic’s general medical awareness campaign.

Many had false beliefs or wrong perceptions of their health conditions.

We are glad we could help!

البارحة اجرينا فحوصات طبيّة مبدئية لموظفي فرجين موبايل كجزء من الحملة الطبيّة التوعويّة لمديكلينيك.
كان لدى الكثير معتقدات أو تصورات مغلوطة عن وضعهم الصحي.
سعداء بالمساعدة!

نصيحة الأسبوع Tip of the week
Seat Belts as well as special seats are of prime importance for children in cars since car accidents can cause bleeding inside the eye &/or detachment of the retina (=posterior part of the eye) & these are serious conditions: Car seat belt & children car seats protect against them
حزام الأمان والمقاعد الخاصة في غاية الأهمية للأطفال في السيارة. لأن حوادث السير قد تؤدي الى نزيف داخل العين أو انفصال الشبكية: مشاكل خطيرة على العين وحزام الأمان وكرسي الأطفال يحميان منها

Summer is here: Children must start wearing sunglasses since very early age
since sun’s side effects are cumulative with age
أهلا بفصل الصيف: على الأهل أن يعودوا
أطفالهم على لبس النظارات الشمسية من الصغر لأن أضرار الشمس على العين تراكمية مع العمر

Nextcare-Du Wellness Day

Today we screened 170 Du employees.
The screening showed that the majority suffer from dry eyes due to extensive use of computers.

Productive day indeed!

اليوم اجرينا فحص عيون مبدئي ل170 موظف في دو. اكتشفنا أن معظمهم يعانون من جفاف الدمع بسبب كثرة استخدام الكمبيوتر.

يوم حافل بامتياز

Dr Shucri Shawaf updated their address.

Dr Shucri Shawaf updated their business hours.

Dr Shucri Shawaf updated their information in their About section.

Tears do not serve only for crying. They lubricate and clean the eye surface. They also nourish the cornea and protect it against many diseases. It contains as much salt as our blood. Without healthy tears vision drops and diseases increase.

Why is it so important to take your child for a routine eye check-up at the age of 3-4 years without suspecting any problem and your child not complaining?...
Because:
1- Children do not complain because they do not know what they are missing
2- At this age, we can detect eye problems especially lazy eye that we can treat at this age but not later

Take a look at shucri shawaf (): https://twitter.com/shucrishawaf?s=09

shucri shawaf (@shucrishawaf) | Twitter The latest Tweets from shucri shawaf (). Shucri Shawaf MD 1991. American University of Beirut. General & Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Surgery. Dar Al Shifaa. Dalma Mall. 20+ yrs experience. Musaffah Abu Dhabi UAE

Adenoviral conjunctivitis 2
Adenoviral conjunctivitis is highly contagious, with an incubation period of 7 to 10 days and a duration of 4 to 6 weeks. The virus is shed during the initial 2 weeks of symptoms. Infectious particles can survive on fomites for 2 months.

Adenovirus Contagion Precautions

Adenovirus is a very highly contagious virus. It can be spread easily through areas of dense population such as schools, day care facilities, public transit & office buildings. Spread can be through contaminated droplets in the air (coughing, sneezing), f***l matter, tears and indirect contact via furniture, toys, door handles & holding / shaking hands.
Precautions to limit spread are like the common cold & influenza:
- Common courtesy applies if you are sick: Covering your sneeze with your arm & coughing into your arm can help to stop the spread of germs to other people.
- It is imperative to wash hands as frequently as possible.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose & mouth whenever possible
- Hand sanitizers are also recommended
The symptoms of adenovirus can sometimes take from 2 days up to two weeks to manifest (Incubation Period). Therefore precautions measures must be observed for at least 2 weeks, even if eyes look better.

Kohl (Surma, Kajal)
Beware of using lead-base or lead-contaminated Kohl since it can cause lead poisoning: starting from low hemoglobin levels, anemia, to growth retardation, low IQ, convulsions, & in severe cases, death.
Anemia from lead poisoning is of special concern in Middle Eastern & South Asian countries where other forms of anemia are prevalent, including iron deficiency anemia (from malnutrition) & hemoglobinopathy (sickle cell anemia, thalassemia).
Some Kohl samples have lead levels in excess of 50%
Kohl is illegal to import into or sell in the United States since it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which considers kohl unsafe for use
In the west, manufacturers use amorphous carbon or organic charcoal instead of lead

Polycarbonate & Trivex Safety Eyewear

When eye safety is a concern, polycarbonate & Trivex [PPG Industries- Pittsburgh, Penn.] lenses usually are the best choice for your eyeglasses, sunglasses, sports eyewear, athletes, children's glasses, rimless eyewear designs, monocular patients [People who only have 1 good eye (other eye lost or blind) ], & industrial workers since they are:
- Thinner & lighter than regular plastic lenses
- Offer 100% protection from the sun's harmful UV light
- 10 times more impact-resistant than plastic or glass lenses (so less likely to fracture)
- Shatter-proof
- But need a scratch-resistant coating
- Available in wide variety of lens designs: progressive, other multifocals

Polycarbonate is currently used for the helmet visors of astronauts & for space shuttle windshields.

For the best eye protection, be sure you also invest in high-quality safety frames or frames designed specifically for your own protective purpose.

Some people may complain of unclear vision; this is due to “chromatic aberration”: cannot focus light of different colors at the same point

Advises to minimize eye strain while watching TV
Despite what our mother's told us as kids, sitting too close to the TV doesn't make us lose vision or make it go bad. However it may cause eye strain & fatigues
Based on the Canadian Association of Optometrists recommendations:
• Proper Lighting for Watching TV: Simulate daylight i.e. not too bright & not too dark
• Do not watch TV with sunglasses on!
• Back light the TV: shine a light behind the TV. Some new TV’s have this built-in back lighting
• Proper distance to sit from the TV: Four- Five times the width of the TV screen.
• Best height: upper edge of the screen at your eyes level
• The 20-20-20 rule applies also to TV: take a break of 20 seconds every 20 minutes & look at a distance of 20 feet

Some microwave energy may leak from your oven while you are using it, but this would pose no known health risks, as long as the oven is properly maintained. Old or faulty door seals are the most common causes of microwave radiation leakage. Mechanical abuse, a build-up of dirt, or wear and tear from continued use can cause door seals to be less effective.
Leaking microwave energy may cause harm including to the eyes

Safety tips for the operation of microwave ovens:

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for operating procedures & safety precautions. Any misuse of the oven may result in personal injury.
• Persons with modern pacemakers should not experience difficulty when near a microwave that is in good working condition. However, if you have concerns or notice symptoms (e.g., dizziness or discomfort), move away from the microwave immediately & consult with your doctor.
• Check to see that door seal and inside surfaces of door & oven cavity are clean after each use.
• Repair or replace any microwave that is not in good working condition.
• Repairs should only be done by a qualified service person.
• Do not use the microwave if the door does not close (e.g., is bent, warped or damaged in any way).
• Do not disable or by-pass any safety locks.
• Do not insert an object through an opening or around the door seal.
• Do not stare at microwave ovens except for a glimpse if needed

Honoring 25 years-graduates AUB