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From: Francis Hamit
Date: 2/14/2006
Time: 6:11:47 PM
Remote Name: 209.178.163.155
I'm having cataract surgery next week. The V.A. won't say so officially, but one of their doctors did. The most likely cause of the cataract at my age is the malaria pills we were ordered to take while in Vietnam. Remember those? Big Orange thing like a horsepill? I can't recall how many times a week we had to take those, but I'd like to know.
The official term is "chloroquinine" and if you do a search online you will see that there is evidence that it not just affects the cornea but the retinas. It is entirely possible that many of us will, in time, go blind because we took this stuff. The degeneration of the retinas is progressive. There may be countermeasures in the form of antioxidents; vitamin E and C among them. Given that we were ordered to take the stuff, the government is responisbile for any damage. I recall that we were all threatened with Article 15s or Courts Martial if we failed to take it as prescribed. I'm a reporter by trade, and this is a bigger story than Agent Orange, but ethically I can't touch it because I'm also a victim. I did think that the rest of you should know about the problem. If you are having problems with yur eyes, now is the time to go to the V.A. and get it checked out. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.