CHECKUP DATA CONFIRM POSSIBLE GLAUCOMA BREAKTHROUGH.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Reports

EARLY DETECTION and prompt treatment of increased fluid pressure in the eye can prevent blindness, according to new research.

A five-year national study, which included more than 1,600 people at 22 medical centers across the country, showed that pressure-lowering eye drops reduced the onset of glaucoma by more than 50 percent.

All the participants had elevated fluid pressure in their eyes, but they had not started to suffer the loss of vision caused by the gradual deterioration of the optic nerve that is the hallmark of glaucoma.

About 2.2 million Americans age 40 and over have been diagnosed with glaucoma, and an estimated 2 million are in the early stages of the disease but have not been diagnosed.

BONE LOSS SIGNAL: Irregular periods in young women may signal a hormonal problem that can lead to severe bone loss years down the road, a new study warns.

The report was prepared by researchers for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and it focused on women with premature ovarian failure.

Women who have the condition stop producing eggs and reproductive hormones even though they are nowhere near the age of menopause. It affects about 1 percent of American women by age 40.

The new study suggests a connection between irregular periods and premature ovarian failure and says that doctors need to be more vigilant when young woman tell them they often miss their periods.

HORMONAL HELP: Using a skin patch to administer hormone replacement therapy may improve libido in menopausal women, according to researchers at USC.

Though millions of postmenopausal women experience low libido, slow arousal, difficulty reaching orgasms and painful intercourse, there's no female equivalent of Viagra available on the market.

For the 23 women participating in the study, taking HRT via a skin patch improved mood and libido. The USC team presented its preliminary findings at a conference in Berlin on June 11.

FLU VACCINE ADAPTED: State health officials have identified a new strain of flu from Southeast Asia that hit Los Angeles County residents this past spring. To provide protection against the new strain, the vaccine for the upcoming flu season has been adapted, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

The flu shot for next winter will be available in October or November. Each year, the vaccine is altered based on circulating strains from the previous flu season.