Head and nerves

Sleepless nights are quite common for most parents of young children. The reason is sometimes a middle ear infection bothering their child. It can be very unsettling when a child is in pain and crying in the middle of the night. Our article and fact sheet aim to help mothers and fathers better understand this condition and to let them know what can help against middle ear infection.

The retina in the eye is an impressive organ. With more than 120 million light-sensitive cells it converts light into messages to the brain in fractions of a second. And it is the centre of the retina, called the macula, which allows us to see particularly fine details. But it is just this part of the retina that can get damaged with age, and this can threaten our sight. Although this condition, called age-related macular degeneration, is common, the medical options for it are limited. Read here about who can benefit from at least slowing down the progress of this condition.

Normally, the brain processes the information coming in from both eyes equally. In some children, however, one eye is favored by the brain because it provides a better image. If this happens, the other eye is neglected. This problem is known as amblyopia. Read our fact sheet to find what the treatment options are and how you can help your child cope with it.

Grief and sadness are normal after a stroke. But some people will become clinically depressed. You can find out about the signs of depression in our fact sheet. And we also have information on treatment and support options for patients and caregivers.

In our feature on hearing you will find information about hearing tests for newborns and babies, as well as hearing screening programmes. We also explain why our hearing gets worse as we get older. A separate fact sheet could help you to understand the results of hearing tests. And we have created an illustration to show the sound pressure levels of various everyday noises - from a vacuum cleaner to thunder.

Migraine attacks last at least four hours in adults and teenagers, and at least two hours in children. One typical symptom is a sudden, bad and pounding headache, usually on one side of the head. Read on to find out how to prevent migraine attacks and how best to cope with them when they happen.

“Well, I am getting older!” This might be the first thing that comes to mind to someone who is always feeling tired or “absolutely beat” in the morning. Yet a condition like obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) may also be the cause. But it often takes quite some time before the correct diagnosis is finally made. We have put together things worth knowing on this subject in a feature. This gives you the opportunity to get detailed information or to just read briefly about the most important points.

We taste “sweet” at the tip of our tongue and “bitter” at the back, towards the throat. This is a common misconception: it is now clear that we sense different tastes quite evenly across the tongue. Science has also helped reveal what other flavors we can taste. This feature explains what “umami” means and has information about what other jobs this organ is responsible for.

Almost half of all people living in an industrialized country will be familiar with this phenomenon: There is a sudden ringing, buzzing, knocking or whistling sound in your ear. Sometimes these sounds last for months or years at a time. People who feel bothered by constant noises in their ears can read in our fact sheet about how to better cope with this problem and about whether there is a link between tinnitus and depression.