Is it safer to keep

QMY 10-year-old daughter has astigmatism in both eyes and started wearing glasses when she was six. She says she can see just as well without glasses and doesn’t want to wear them any more.

As she gets older, it’s harder to insist she wears them and if she says she can see fine without them, should I worry about it?

ANORMALLY the cornea, the clear membrane in the front of the eye, is curved evenly like the surface of a football. However, in astigmatism it is shaped more like a rugby ball, which means that light is not focused properly on the retina in the back of the eye.

Having a small amount of astigmatism is very common. Many people have a slightly abnormally-curved cornea but are unaware of the problem as the brain compensates for the difference between the two eyes.

In children, however, the brain may block out the distorted images coming from an affected eye, meaning that vision does not develop properly on that side. This is why it is important that small children with astigmatism should wear glasses.

The best person to give advice on whether your daughter should continue to wear glasses is her optician. They will be able to tell you how well her vision has developed and how severe the astigmatism is now.

If it is only very mild, then she may not need to wear her glasses but she may be more prone to headaches, especially at the end of the school day.

I AM 84-years-old and was recently diagnosed with IPF. I understand it is a condition that normally affects people who in the past have been heavy smokers or worked in an environment where asbestos had been present.

While I used to smoke, I gave up 45 years ago and have never come into contact with asbestos. I’m intrigued to find out what other reasons there could possibly be for contracting this condition.

AIPF, or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, describes a progressive build-up of scar tissue in the lungs which makes the lungs stiffer, so they cannot expand when you breathe in. This means less air reaches deep into the lungs, which in turn means less oxygen is transferred into the blood. This can make you feel breathless.

Every year about 6,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with IPF, mainly the over-70s, and it is more common in men.

The term “idiopathic” means the cause isn’t known, but it is thought to be caused by damage to the tissue in the lungs.

The main risk factor is smoking so this does mean that even though you gave up years ago, the tar in cigarettes triggered inflammation in your lungs, which has slowly progressed to cause scar tissue.

Other possible causes linked to developing IPF include a viral infection such as glandular fever, or breathing in dust.

It seems to be more common in people who have been exposed at work to particles from wood, metal, textiles, stone and also from cattle and farming.

It has also been suggested that acid reflux from the stomach may be the trigger in some people.

Unfortunately there is no cure for IPF but medication can help to slow the scarring and ease breathlessness.

A tailored exercise programme that helps you cope better with feeling short of breath, known as pulmonary rehabilitation, can also be very beneficial.

You should ask your GP for more information on this.