History

Nurses have a front-row seat to medical care. As a CEENTA nurse for almost three decades, Mary Lee Haywood not only experienced the development of care firsthand, but she also had ties to some of the earliest days of CEENTA, too.

For as long as recorded human civilization has existed, people have had allergies. Allergy treatment is almost as old as both. How has it developed into what you can get at CEENTA today? Today’s blog offers a glimpse into the long history of allergy care.

Millions of people who have had cataracts had their cloudy lenses replaced with intraocular lenses. A wide variety are now available, including those that treat astigmatism, those that help people see both near and far without corrective lenses, and those that reduce halos around lights at night. But did you know that the inspiration for this medical treatment has its origins in a World War II injury?

It was 1940, and the German Luftwaffe was making regular air raids on the United Kingdom. Although the British Royal Air Force was successful in shooting down many German planes, blackouts were still in effect across the country to minimize the visibility of targets on the ground. But don’t worry, the British government said. If you eat carrots, they’ll help you see in the dark, just like they did for RAF Flight Lieutenant John “Cat’s Eyes” Cunningham. Cunningham was responsible for shooting down 20 German aircraft, and it was attributed to his love of carrots. The only problem with that? The British government made it up.