Eye: Sea stars have a simple eye at the end of each arm. The eye is able to see only differences of light and dark, which is useful in detecting movement. Pedicellariae: On the surface of the sea star, surrounding the spines, are small white objects known as pedicellariae.
Some foods can cause low platelets and eliminating them from the diet may help raise the platelet count. The most common offenders are foods that contain quinine (tonic water, bitter lemon, bitter melon), aspartame (diet soda, sugar-free and low-fat candy and cakes) or alcohol (beer, wine, hard liquor). There is more information on the 'Warnings' page and the 'Other Platelet Disorders' page.
Low platelet count due to impaired production is generally due to problems with the bone marrow. Usually other blood cells (red and white) are also affected by some of these processes, and their numbers may be abnormal. Some viral infections can cause low platelet count by affecting the bone marrow, for example, 1  parvovirus, 2  rubella, 3  mumps, 4  varicella (chickenpox), 5  hepatitis C, 6  Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and. 7  HIV.