Ears

[edKENdance]

We touch a lot more ears in one week then most people do in a lifetime. One thing that still throws me for a loop are those people with that ear cartilage that's so thick their ears are not flappy at all. It just feels strange to me. Fellow optiboarders lend me your ears (stories).
Yeah it's raining here. Staying inside.

[chip anderson]

Ed:

Do you think they should flap in the wind, like the president's or be stiff?
I do find it odd that no one spends any time on how to adjust temples to ears anymore. Some of the early authors spent several chapters on this. But then they had a choice of temple lenght and design.

Chip

[edKENdance]

Occasionally you get those people those people that have those grooves that run down behind their ears. It's like they were designed to have temples there.

[Jacqui]

Been seeing a LOT of infections, rashes, etc behind peoples ears, it's a beautiful spot for them to hide. Be CAREFUL, you wouldn't want to catch something serious from a customer...would you??

[rbaker]

Been seeing a LOT of infections, rashes, etc behind peoples ears, it's a beautiful spot for them to hide. Be CAREFUL, you wouldn't want to catch something serious from a customer...would you??

What with all of the people entering the US from all of the worlds hell holes you will probably see an emergence of trachoma. Back in the day we funneled them through Ellis Island and the unclean were segregated from the general population. Tuburculosis is presently found at an alarming rate in many communities.

[Uncle Fester]

What with all of the people entering the US from all of the worlds hell holes you will probably see an emergence of trachoma. Back in the day we funneled them through Ellis Island and the unclean were segregated from the general population. Tuburculosis is presently found at an alarming rate in many communities.

My Grandparents from Sweden probably fit your concern in their day.

Signs "Swedes don't apply" were common in storefront windows.

Where is this written?


Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

In a population of 300 million-

Trends in Tuberculosis --- United States, 2010

Weekly

March 25, 2011 / 60(11);333-337

In 2010, a total of 11,181 tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported in the United States, for a rate of 3.6 cases per 100,000 population, which was a decline of 3.9% from 2009 and the lowest rate recorded since national reporting began in 1953 (1). This report summarizes provisional 2010 data from the National TB Surveillance System and describes trends since 1993. Despite an average decline in TB rates of 3.8% per year during 2000--2008, a record decline of 11.4% in 2009 (2), and the 2010 decline of 3.9%, the national goal of TB elimination (defined as <0.1 case per 100,000 population) by 2010 was not met (3). Although TB cases and rates decreased among foreign-born and U.S.-born persons, foreign-born persons and racial/ethnic minorities were affected disproportionately by TB in the United States. In 2010, the TB rate among foreign-born persons in the United States was 11 times greater than among U.S.-born persons. TB rates among Hispanics, non-Hispanic blacks, and Asians were seven, eight, and 25 times greater, respectively, than among non-Hispanic whites. Among U.S.-born racial and ethnic groups, the greatest racial disparity in TB rates was for non-Hispanic blacks, whose rate was seven times greater than the rate for non-Hispanic whites. Progress toward TB elimination in the United States will require ongoing surveillance and improved TB control and prevention activities to address persistent disparities between U.S.-born and foreign-born persons and between whites and minorities.
Health departments in the 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC) electronically report to CDC verified TB cases that meet the CDC and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists case definition.* Reports include the patient's self-identified race, ethnicity (i.e., Hispanic or non-Hispanic), treatment information, and, whenever available, drug-susceptibility test results. CDC calculates national and state TB rates overall and by racial/ethnic group using U.S. Census population estimates, with the national rate and percentage change from 2009 to 2010 based on U.S. Census annual estimates (4,5). The Current Population Survey provides the population denominators used to calculate TB rate and percentage changes according to national origin (U.S.-born versus foreign-born) (6). For TB surveillance, a U.S.-born person is defined as someone born in the United States or its associated jurisdictions, or someone born in a foreign country but having at least one U.S.-born parent; all other persons are considered foreign-born. For 2010, patients with unknown country of birth represented 0.9% (96 of 11,181) of total cases. For this report, persons of Hispanic ethnicity might be of any race; non-Hispanic persons are categorized as black, Asian, white, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, or of multiple races.
In 2010, a total of 11,181 tuberculosis (TB) cases were reported in the United States, equivalent to 3.6 cases per 100,000 population. TB rates in reporting areas ranged from 0.6 (Maine) to 8.8 (Hawaii) cases per 100,000 population (median: 2.5) (Figure 1). Thirty-two states had lower rates in 2010 than in 2009; 18 states and DC had higher rates. Four states (California, Texas, New York, and Florida) each reported more than 500 cases for 2010. Combined, these four states accounted for 5,503 TB cases, or nearly half (49.2%) of all TB cases in 2010.
Among U.S.-born persons, the number and rate of TB cases declined in 2010. The 4,378 TB cases in U.S.-born persons (39.5% of all cases in persons with known national origin) were a 3.7% decrease compared with 2009, and a 74.9% decrease compared with 1993 (Figure 2). The 1.6 cases per 100,000 population TB rate among U.S.-born persons represented a 4.6% decrease since 2009 and a 77.8% decrease since 1993.
Among foreign-born persons in the United States, the number and rate of TB cases declined in 2010. A total of 6,707 TB cases were reported among foreign-born persons (60.5% of all cases in persons with known national origin), a 3.4% decrease from 2009. The 18.1 per 100,000 population TB rate among foreign-born persons was a 4.3% decrease since 2009 and a 46.8% decrease since 1993. In 2010, four countries accounted for 50.3% of TB cases associated with foreign birth: Mexico (1,539 [23.0%]), the Philippines (738 [11.0%]), India (577 [8.6%]), and Vietnam (518 [7.7%]).
In 2010, more TB cases were reported among Hispanics than any other racial/ethnic group in the United States (Table). Asians had the highest TB case rate. From 2009 to 2010, TB rates decreased most for blacks, then Hispanics, Asians, and whites. Despite these declines, TB rates among Hispanics, blacks, and Asians were seven, eight, and 25 times greater, respectively, than among whites. Among persons with TB, approximately 95% of Asians, 75% of Hispanics, 34% of blacks, and 20% of whites were foreign-born. Among U.S.-born persons, blacks (40.0% [1,751 of 4,378]) were the racial/ethnic group with the greatest number of TB cases and the largest disparity with U.S.-born whites; the TB rate among U.S.-born blacks was seven times greater than among U.S.-born whites.
In 2010, among persons with TB who also had a known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) test result, 8.6% (611 of 7,090) were coinfected with HIV. California and Vermont data were not available for these calculations.†
A total of 113 cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB)§ were reported in 2009, the most recent year for which complete drug-susceptibility data are available. Drug-susceptibility test results for isoniazid and rifampin were reported for 97.7% (9,810 of 10,039) and 96.9% (8,573 of 8,851) of culture-confirmed TB cases in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Among these cases, the percentage for 2009 that were MDR TB (1.3% [113 of 8,573]) was similar to the percentage for 2008 (1.1% [105 of 9,810]). The percentage of MDR TB cases among persons without a previous history of TB has remained stable at approximately 1.0% since 1997; for persons with a previous history of TB, the percentage with MDR TB is approximately five times greater. In 2009, foreign-born persons accounted for 101 (89.4%) of the 113 MDR TB cases. To date, one case of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB)¶ has been reported in 2010.
The recommended length of drug therapy for most types of TB is 6--9 months. In 2007, the latest year for which end-of-treatment data are complete, 84.5% of patients for whom ≤1 year of treatment was indicated completed therapy within 1 year, compared with 83.9% in 2006. Ultimately, 93.6% of those patients who began treatment in 2007 completed treatment, compared with 93.0% in 2006.

[Uncle Fester]

The recommended length of drug therapy for most types of TB is 6--9 months. In 2007, the latest year for which end-of-treatment data are complete, 84.5% of patients for whom ≤1 year of treatment was indicated completed therapy within 1 year, compared with 83.9% in 2006. Ultimately, 93.6% of those patients who began treatment in 2007 completed treatment, compared with 93.0% in 2006.

Correct me if I'm wrong but that means there are about a thousand active TB carriers out there in a population of 300 million.

[Mizikal]

The recommended length of drug therapy for most types of TB is 6--9 months. In 2007, the latest year for which end-of-treatment data are complete, 84.5% of patients for whom ≤1 year of treatment was indicated completed therapy within 1 year, compared with 83.9% in 2006. Ultimately, 93.6% of those patients who began treatment in 2007 completed treatment, compared with 93.0% in 2006.

Correct me if I'm wrong but that means there are about a thousand active TB carriers out there in a population of 300 million.

Yes and they have a resistant strain of TB also. Rise of the super bugs.

[optilady1]

Here's my one and only ear story. Last week had a very nice patient come in who very typically needed a hazmat team to clean him up. Before I did the 'yucky frame clean up', you know, tooth brush, dawn, some rubbing alcohol, fire, I noticed there was a large clump of ear wax. On his lens.

Cue puking.

[John@OWDC]

How about the best, no ears story?
Yep, skin cancer took them both.
Of course he still wanted to wear an ordinary pair of glasses...
It took some doing but working with what he had we got a regular pair to stay on.
Ended up getting most of the weight and fit on his nose with a solid bridge in an ultralight frame and then providing plenty of skull pressure on the temple ends.
He just did not seem very open to being told, "Um you have no ears..." (No joke and - no sarcasm intended)
Had he been I would have headed towards a strap of some kind.

[NeGlassesGirl27]

Here's my one and only ear story. Last week had a very nice patient come in who very typically needed a hazmat team to clean him up. Before I did the 'yucky frame clean up', you know, tooth brush, dawn, some rubbing alcohol, fire, I noticed there was a large clump of ear wax. On his lens.

Cue puking.

I'm glad I read this right before lunch. *insert vomiting motion* :p

[DragonLensmanWV]

[NeGlassesGirl27]

Thank you for inserting the vomiting smiley hehe

[Striderswife]

This didn't happen to me, but my supervisor a long time before I worked with her. The patient had some sort of degenerative disease, and a piece of his ear came off in her hand when she went to check the fit of his frames. Um, eww. X^P