these Open Championship Clubs choose to relief grind - Pitchcare

News
The Eyes
have it ...
As Timbuk3 said in 1986; “The Future’s
So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades”. If only
I had listened back then.
Ian Smith, Grounds Manager at St
Albans School, offers a timely word of
warning about eye damage from UV
rays, and the importance of wearing
sunglasses
I LOVE this profession, and one
of the great joys is being
outdoors, whatever the weather,
along with the different variety
of tasks I carry out though the
year. I wouldn’t change a thing.
I seem to be one of the lucky
people who actually enjoys
going to work in the morning.
But, I write this as a word of
caution to all of you. I’m sure
that, by now, you have all been
made aware of the damage that
the suns UV rays can cause to
our skin, so, hopefully, we either
stay covered up or we use
sunscreen. But, it is not just our
skin that we should be
protecting.
Pterygium is caused by UV rays
Back in 2002, I went for a
routine eye test and I was
diagnosed as having something
called pterygium. This is a
benign growth to the
conjunctiva, growing from the
nasal side towards the cornea,
and forming a wing-shaped
growth. Apart from looking
unsightly, by the end of the day
my eyes felt sore and gritty.
If I wanted to wear contact
lenses, with this condition, it
would not have been possible.
The optician asked me if I had
ever worked in the Middle East
or Australia. I said that I hadn’t,
but that I spent the majority of
my time outdoors. I was asked if
I wore sunglasses. I explained
8 PC 4 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012
that I never had, and was told
that this was the reason I now
had this condition, as it is
caused by UV damage.
After the diagnosis, I always
wore sunglasses when outside.
Unfortunately, this was all too
late for me; the damage was
done. Whilst wearing sunglasses
slowed the growth down, now,
ten years on, the pterygium had
growth to the edge of my
cornea. This meant that, if it was
not removed, it would continue
to grow, over the cornea, and
blind me.
An operation was the only
option if I wanted to keep my
vision.
The operation is
really not very
pleasant. The
pterygium is cut out
and removed, a
graft is then taken
from under the eye
lid and stitched in
the hole where the
pteryguim had
been.
I have had one eye
done, and it is not
something that I
would wish on
Ian’s eye one week after the
operation, showing new skin
graft on left side of eye
anybody! In a month or so, I
have got to go through it all
again for the other eye.
The operation will probably
change the shape of my eye,
meaning visits to the opticians
after both operations to get
appropriate new lenses for each
eye of my glasses.
We must learn the lessons from
the past. I know people go on
about health and safety
regulations being a pain but, as
we become aware of issues that
affect people’s health, we must
try to avoid the same things
happening to the next
generation of groundsmen and
greenkeepers.
As well as this recent condition,
my ears ring at night through
not wearing defenders when I
first started out, working on the
machinery that was much noisier
back then. We used to have
fertiliser delivered in 50kg bags,
which I could hardly move, so
my back aches constantly ...
and, now, my eyes.
These things can all be
prevented through risk
assessments, and using the
appropriate machinery that falls
within EU regulations. We
should only be carrying
manageable weights, or using
lifting equipment where
necessary. We should be making
sure that we, and our staff, wear
the appropriate PPE; not just
toetectors, ear defenders and
hard hats but, now we are
aware of the issues with UV,
should also include sun screen
and sun glasses for 100% UV
protection. All these things your
employers should supply to you
as part of your terms of contract.
For all my moans and groans, I
still feel very lucky to work in
this industry. Hopefully, it will be
even better for the next
generation of both greenkeepers
and groundsmen.
It’s not a fashion statement
wearing sunglasses, it’s to stop
long term eye damage.
It’s not soft carrying only 20kg
at a time, it’s safer for your long
term health.
Let’s learn from our past
mistakes. As I started by saying;
“The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta
Wear Shades”.
PTERYGIUM in the conjunctiva is
characterized by elastotic
degeneration of collagen
(actinic elastosis) and
fibrovascular proliferation. It
has an advancing portion,
called the head of the
pterygium, which is connected
to the main body of the
pterygium by the neck.
Sometimes, a line of iron
deposition can be seen adjacent
to the head of the pterygium
called Stocker’s line. The
location of the line can give an
indication of the pattern of
growth.
The exact cause is unknown,
but it is associated with
excessive exposure to wind,
sunlight, or sand. In addition,
pterygia are twice as likely to
occur in men than women.
Some research also suggests a
genetic predisposition due to an
expression of vimentin, which
indicates cellular migration by
the keratoblasts embryological
development, which are the
cells that give rise to the layers
of the cornea. These cells also
exhibit an increased P53
expression likely due to a deficit
in the tumor suppressor gene.
These indications give the
impression of a migrating
limbus because the cellular
origin of the pterygium is
actually initiated by the limbal
epithelium.
As it is associated with excessive
sun or wind exposure, wearing
protective sunglasses with side
shields and/or wide brimmed
hats and using artificial tears
throughout the day may help
prevent their formation or stop
further growth.
Symptoms
Symptoms of pterygium include
persistent redness,
inflammation, foreign body
sensation, tearing, which can
cause bleeding, dry and itchy
eyes. In advanced cases the
pterygium can affect vision as it
invades the cornea with the
potential of obscuring the
optical center of the cornea and
inducing astigmatism and
corneal scarring.
Treatment
A variety of options are
available for the management
of pterygium, from irradiation,
to conjunctival auto-grafting or
amniotic membrane
transplantation, along with glue
and suture application. As it is a
benign growth, pterygium
typically does not require
surgery unless it grows to such
an extent that it covers the
pupil, obstructing vision or
presents with acute symptoms.
Some of the irritating symptoms
can be addressed with artificial
tears. However, no reliable
medical treatment exists to
reduce or even prevent
pterygium progression.
Definitive treatment is achieved
only by surgical removal. Longterm
follow up is required as
pterygium may recur even after
complete surgical correction.