Dermatological (Skin) and Opthalmology (Eyes) conditions

Jyoti Gada, who fought long with vitiligo, has in the last decade come to terms with her white patches. Today, she has an Instagram page where she models for her clothes and is willing to start any conversations on the challenges of Vitiligo. I have grey hair. I am fifty plus and fabulous. And, oh by the way, I have vitiligo. You can’t miss my white patches. I have them all over my face and body. Under my eyes, nose and a broad stretch running across the top of my forehead. But I am no longer…

You must continue to exercise if you have glaucoma. Meditation and yoga are also helpful. However you must take some precautions. The following exercises and activities can cause increase in ocular pressure or eye pressure. What Exercises Should You Avoid: All exercises in which your head is bent or below your heart level. All exercises that require you to be upside down such as hand/head stands, certain yoga poses*, various gymnastic or acrobatic moves. Isometric exercises like squatting,…

After the age of 40 everyone should go for an eye test as glaucoma is largely asymptomatic and can lead to significant vision loss and blindness in the advance stages, says Dr. Nishant Kumar, Consultant, Ophthalmology at Hinduja Hospital, Khar. What is the main cause of getting glaucoma? Glaucoma is an eye disease that is often associated with elevated intraocular pressure, in which the eye (optic) nerve is damaged. As this nerve gradually deteriorates, it can lead to loss of vision and even…

Vijay*, from Mumbai was diagnosed with Glaucoma when he was 42. He shares his experience of managing glaucoma and his mantra to others living with the condition. Introduce yourself 52 years old, Indian man. Active and healthy! An Engineer by qualification and an IT guy by profession. Please tell us a bit about your condition - when were you diagnosed, the early symptoms? During a regular eye checkup, which I used to do when I felt my number needed checking,  in 2011, I was diagnosed with…

Dermatologist Dr. Kruti Banodkar explains how hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism affects the skin, hair and nails of a person, the home remedies and self care strategies for the dermatological issues and when you should see a physician. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the front of the neck. It releases hormones to help the body regulate and use energy. It regulates the rate at which calories are burned, affecting weight loss or weight gain. It can slow down or…

Divya Sharma, 27, is a young lady with only 25 per cent vision due to acute glaucoma as a child. But that has not stopped her from being a fitness enthusiast. She has five belts in Karate and she also does regular weight lifting to keep herself in shape. Fitness is an important aspect of our life. It is said that people often relate fitness just to celebrities and models. Well, what do you do to ensure that you are fit and active? And if you feel that fitness is primarily about climbing the…

Bangalore based journalist, L Subramani, who lost his vision to retinitis pigmentosa as a teenager, writes how he survived the horrors of being alone in a covid-19 isolation ward and facing death of fellow warrior. Room 209 had a single bed and a side bench. It faced up to a busy road where you could hear the constant rumbling of traffic and the wailing ambulance, far too often for my comfort. The hospital was generally silent, except for the violent coughing fit of a fellow covid-19 patient…

Urmila Margi, diagnosed with vitiligo as a teenager, says her eye-opening moment was when she met a senior executive at a multinational firm who had vitiligo which made her realise that looks really don’t matter if you prove yourself at your work. When were you diagnosed with vitiligo? It was around 15 to 18 years of ago. How did it affect your daily life? Initially…yes it did affect my life tremendously as I was just 16 – 18 years old when my vitiligo patches first appeared. Did you face any…

क्या तनाव आपके एक्ज़िमा को भड़का रहा है? डॉ. गीता मथाई विभिन्न एक्ज़िमा के ट्रिगर्स के लिए कुछ उपाय बता रही हैं। एक्जिमा क्या है? 'एक्ज़िमा' त्वचा संबंधी रोगों का एक व्यापक समूह है।, और इन में मुख्यलक्षण हैं खुजली, त्वचा का लाल होना,त्वचा पर पपड़ी बनना और फिर उसका छिलना/उतरना। इसमें त्वचा अंततः मोटी और अतिरंजित(हाइपर-पिगमेंट) हो जाती है। एक्ज़िमा किन किन प्रकार के होते हैं? एक्ज़िमा का सबसे आम प्रकार है एटोपिक डर्माटाइटिस। यह कई प्रकार की अलग-अलग एलर्जी के कारण होता है। यह दुनिया भर के 20…

Soumita Basu has been living with the chronic pain associated with Psoriatic Arthritis for almost 10 years. She shares her experience of managing the pain and what works for her.  Chronic pain can be debilitating. It can be isolating. And it is almost always inexplicable. As I write this, I am in excruciating pain. And I recall all the pain stories I have heard from people suffering from chronic pain. Pain that fogs the mind and makes me second guess everything. Sometimes, the question is…