O

Occupational therapy

Occupational therapists help people regain their independence and adapt to any disability.They can recommend special tools to help people perform everyday tasks more easily and can also recommend adaptations to the house, such as hand rails, bath seats and stair lifts.

Oestrogen

A female sex hormone responsible for thickening the lining of the womb
throughout the menstrual cycle and also for preserving the mineral content of bone in young women.

Oligodentrocytes

Cells in the central nervous system that produce the insulating material around nerve fibres (axons) called myelin.

Oncologist

A specialist in the treatment of tumours.

Ophthalmoscope

An instrument used by doctors to examine the back of the eye, which can often give a clue to the pressure inside the head.

Optic neuritis

Inflammation in the nerve which joins the eye to the brain (the optic nerve).

Osteoporosis

With advancing age the calcium content of bones tends to decline, particularly in women after the menopause. Bones of the spine may then weaken and can sometimes collapse, a cause of spinal pain.

Occupational therapist

A specialist in providing treatment that uses specific activities to help people
whose physical, and particularly movement, capabilities have been damaged to recover the skills they need to help them lead as independent a life as possible.