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.

Commander Kehar Singh an Octogenarian had also put Dr. Vandana Jain and her team’s creativity to test at Advanced Eye Hospital and Institute at Sanpada, Navi Mumbai. Commander Singh was once an athlete and used to actively compete with Milkha Singh and was crowned Mr. Cochin. He is suffering from a condition called tracheal stenosis where his main airway got extremely narrow. Additionally, his airway would collapse and get blocked whenever he lies down. Cdr. Singh has to resort to a positive airway pressure wherein a machine increases the air pressure in the air passage during sleep thus preventing its collapse. Besides this, he has to sleep on his side as he cannot lie down on his back for more than a few minutes without getting breathless. An emergency tracheostomy (an artificial opening in trachea to get airway assess) was made in 1966 after a road traffic accident to get access to his airway. Subsequently he developed narrowing of the airway and developed difficulty in breathing.

What is a prosthesis?

A prosthetic eye or artificial eye is usually made of hard, plastic acrylic. The prosthetic eye is shaped like a shell and is customized to ensure perfect fit. The prosthetic eye fits over an ocular implant. The ocular implant as we mentioned earlier, is a rounded object that is surgically embedded deeper in the socket to impart volume to the bony orbit. An artificial eye or the ocular prosthesis is generally made at least six to eight weeks after surgery. This time is necessary to allow for the swelling to reduce and also to allow the socket to heal.

Cataract is the clouding of clear lens of eye, leading to reduced vision. It is an age-related process.

What is lens?
Lens is a clear crystalline structure in the eye. It helps in focusing images on retina. Any changes causing denaturation of lens proteins makes it opaque thus blocking visual pathway and leads to blurred vision.