I am a retired mechanical engineer but always believed in staying active. That is my mantra of well-being. With my son living in London, I keep commuting between Mumbai and London time to time. In recent times, besides my social charity work I developed an interest in gardening. I used to love gardening which led me to my passion of being a volunteer to beautify our environment.

Myopia also known as short sightedness is the new silent pandemic. The prevalence of Myopia is increasing drastically over past few decades. According to Brien Holden Vision Institute, Australia; approximately half of the world population would be myopic in the next 35 years to come. Some countries like US have displayed a 40% increase in myopia in children. Unfortunately, India is not far behind and has shown radical increase in myopia in children.

My problems started with blurring of vision 4 months ago. The blurring was so bad that it hampered my day to day activities. I have been staying in Navi Mumbai since the early 1980s and knew most of the hospitals in the area. Due to my increasing blurring problems I knew I had to consult an eye surgeon and told my son to decide which hospital would be best for eye surgeries.

The scare of Diabetic Retinopathy (retina damage due to diabetes) is increasing day by day. It has already become the third most common cause of blindness in urban areas. As for all other major diseases, prevention is better than cure; similarly, for diabetes related eye damage – the best approach to prevent blindness is to undergo routine eye checks and detect/treat diabetic retinopathy in early stages.

The current status of glaucoma care in the world may be summarized as follows: More than half of glaucoma in the community (and more than 90% in developing countries) is undiagnosed, more than 50% of patients with undiagnosed glaucoma have seen an eye care provider in the recent past, more than half of patients taking glaucoma medications do not need them (overtreatment) and 50% of those advised to take medication do not do so.

Both cataracts and glaucoma can be a natural part of the aging process. Many people over 60 may have both. Otherwise, the two are not associated. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. A cataract is an eye condition where cloudiness, or opacity in the lens, blocks or changes the entry of light, affecting vision.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Appropriate treatment for glaucoma will prevent loss of sight in the majority of patients whose condition is detected early or are at risk of developing it. Glaucoma service at Advanced Eye Hospital and Institute (AEHI), Sanpada near Vashi station in Navi Mumbai is dedicated to the care and treatment of people who have glaucoma. Glaucoma service at AEHI offers sophisticated, state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities. AEHI provides a team of fellowship trained Glaucoma specialist, ophthalmologists, diagnostic equipment such as slit lamps,GAT, Gonioscope, Perimetry, Fundus camera, OCT. We have facilities for advanced laser and surgical procedures to control Glaucoma such as trabeculectomy, tube implants, non-penetrating glaucoma surgeries, surgery for congenital glaucoma and different lasers for glaucoma management.

Glaucoma is a very misunderstood disease. Often, people don't realize the severity, vision lost cannot be regained.

Modern cataract surgery is a marvel of a surgery. It can be done in just a few minutes. No injections or stitches are required, and the patient gets back to work in a few days. Risk of complications is rare and post cataract surgery recovery is quick. However, cataract surgery requires patients to lie down on the patient bed flat for some time. If for any reason someone cannot lie down flat on the bed, it can get challenging for even the best of cataract surgeons to perform a cataract surgery. To overcome this challenge, a customized positioning is done to allow the cataract surgeon to perform the cataract surgery.

India has a large population, which has already crossed the 1 billion mark with 71 million people over 60 years of age and the number of menopausal women about 43 million. Projected figures in 2026 have estimated the population in India will be 1.4 billion, people over 60 years 173 million, and the menopausal population 103 million. Average age of menopause is 47.5 years in Indian women with an average life expectancy of 71 years.