HEALTH BRIEFS: 0308

Scientists keep close watch on world's robotic eye

BREAKTHROUGH OF THE WEEK

The world's "first" bionic eye prototype has been implanted.

Scientists at Bionic Vision Australia surgically installed an ''early prototype" robotic eye in a blind woman, allowing her to see flashes of light for the first time in 20 years.

NUTRITION BITE

Drink low-fat milk, not for your waistline but for your health.

According to a study published this week by Swedish scientists from Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, the consumption of low-fat dairy products could reduce the risk of strokes.

BIZARRE OF THE WEEK

In the only reported case in the world a woman in the US has started growing fingernails from her hair follicles.

Shanyna Isom, 28, had an allergic reaction to steroids she was given after an asthma attack.

Now she produces 12 times the number of skin cells per hair follicle, which suffocates her skin and makes her follicles grow hard fingernails instead of the usual hair. She is undergoing treatment for her debilitating condition.

ONE THING TO DO FOR YOUR HEALTH

Getting lost in a good book can help keep you healthy. There is increasing evidence that reading for pleasure isn't just another leisure pursuit, or merely a way of improving knowledge and literacy skills.

Neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield says reading helps lengthen children's attention span and improves their ability to think clearly.