Eye Health

Having hope for a cure for an incurable disease is essential as it gives a purpose to be alive but making it the centre of your world is where the problem lies, writes Vineet Saraiwala.  My brother and I have retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative eye condition in which vision deteriorates as age progresses. There is currently no scientific cure for my condition but I am optimistic of a cure with the rapid advancements in research happening across the world. Some medical conditions are…

Sanjeev Agrawal, 60, a Professor of Mathematics has been battling invisible illnesses all his life.  He reflects on how his responses to his daughter's challenges due to her invisible illnesses have been shaped by his experiences. #FathersDay series. Asked to write something for Father’s day for PatientsEngage, I go to the site and start wondering – do I write as a caregiver or as a patient? Rather than work out a theme, I decide to write about whatever comes, at this time, to my mind.…

Vineet Saraiwala, Inclusion Lead, Future Retail Limited, pays an emotional tribute to his mother, a mother of two sons with Retinitis Pigmentosa. A Mother's Day Special. It was my mother’s destiny to have two sons, both with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative disease in which vision deteriorates as age progresses. We, my brother and I, are glad that we are not alone in this journey as our mother is equally there in our struggles for the past 25 years. But we never noticed it. My mother’s…

Vineet Saraiwala, Inclusion Lead, Future Retail Limited, who has fearlessly embraced his retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease, writes a poignant account of his reducing vision and how he derives immense pleasure from tandem bicycle tours, trekking and running marathons. Living with the realisation that your eyesight is deteriorating is not easy and accepting the reality is challenging. Life is an illusion and you trick your optimistic mind in not believing the reality. The…

This week is World Glaucoma Awareness Week. Lalitha Ramakrishnan and Viji Venkatesh, a mother - daughter duo share their experience with Glaucoma, the silent thief of sight and highlight the importance of regular eye checkups and adherence to medication. I had not heard of Glaucoma till 1991. I was in Singapore, staying with my son, a sport journalist. I had lost my husband four years earlier and was a total wreck. Raja, my son, was the one who helped me regain my sanity – infusing so much…

When a series of catastrophic medical incidents left Payal Kapoor blind, deaf and a veritable vegetable (as she felt then)  at 21, she was devastated. Yet, she pulled herself together, mastered reading and writing in Braille and felt alive once again. Read her compelling story. Dramatic it sounds, I know, but today as I held the first edition of Insight, a magazine in Braille edited and compiled by me, released on the birth anniversary of Helen Keller, a strange feeling of pride and…

Since its inception in 2014, Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation, which promotes inclusion by enabling Persons with Disability (PwD) and able bodied people to participate in adventure sports like paragliding, marathons, trekking, scuba diving and mountaineering together, has impacted close to 4000 PwDs and over 1.5 lakh able bodied people. Yashasvini Rajeshwar, Head of Media and Communication of ABBF, gives details about the pioneering effort. Tell us about this unique thought and its genesis…

Sharmishthaa Atreja, Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosphy, Delhi University, has lost her vision through a degenerative eye disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa. She shares her story of coming to terms with gradually losing her vision and how she copes with an active professional life now. The beginning Can one imagine what it is 'to go blind'? How is it possible for a 5-year-old to understand what is blindness when she is enjoying pink, yellow dog-flowers in her garden, plucking…

How should glaucoma be managed? Glaucoma can be managed by following the treatment protocol specified in the Treatment section How often should a patient follow up After the initial examination and diagnosis, glaucoma patients are managed much like patients with other chronic disease, requiring regular visits to assess disease severity and response to therapy. Most patients will need periodic medical examinations, diagnostic testing for progression or new findings, and individualized management…

What are the treatments available The aim of treatment is to lower the intraocular pressure thereby preventing or reducing further damage to the optic nerve. However, in most situations it is not possible to reverse the optic nerve changes that have occurred. The methods available for glaucoma lowering intraocular pressure are : medical (usually eye drops), laser and surgical. Medical treatment - Medical therapy is the most common treatment modality for glaucoma. There are various eyedrops…