Dermatological (Skin) and Opthalmology (Eyes) conditions

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…

Srishti Rai, 24, was born with Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare genetic skin disease. Here, she talks about how she fights for her health every day and her passion for animation. And why she thinks jeans are over-rated. I was born seeming like a “normal” child late one February night, except for a couple of small red bruises on my chin and my ankle from the delivery. This was a little unusual, so I was taken to have the bruises treated. That’s when it was discovered that things were not as simple…

Bhanu Ramchandran talks to Sunena Gupta, a young girl whose journey to overcome self-image and mental issues caused by her chronic medical condition, is an inspiration to youngsters. 20 year old Sunena is a role model, an all-round achiever. An ace student, she is doing her Bachelors in a leading US university. She has been a basketball player in school. She plays the drums and is a Kathak dancer with several stage performances under her belt. Her next Kathak show – titled ‘Umeed’ (meaning ‘…

Urmila Prabhu, who developed vitiligo in her forties, has launched the Voice of Vitiligo, the first vitiligo support group in Mumbai, to spread awareness, build an active vitiligo community and combat the huge stigma attached to the disease. My vitiligo started in my late forties. I was going through a phase of extreme emotions. There was bereavement and celebrations within months. I had lost my partner in 2015, leaving a huge void in my life. Within eight months my daughter decided to get…

With summer upon us, our body systems can go through various changes just like the outside temperature. With certain chronic conditions like diabetes, skin allergies, thyroid problems, the weather change can be even more bothersome with unwanted symptoms. Here are a few tips to best cope with the sizzling hot season. Food tips for summer: Eat smaller meals through the day instead of fewer, heavy meals. Stay hydrated! Keep a bottle of water handy at all times and sip it through the day. To make…

Smriti Sawhney, an experienced Clinical Psychologist writes on body shaming and how harbouring a negative body image about ourselves, is ultimately a self-defeating exercise. I have struggled with hair thinning the past 7 years and have cried endless nights, gone through phases of lows and irritability, gone doctor shopping, hair products shopping and may even have consumed enough number of multivitamins to cause a toxic reaction in me…all for fitting myself to the image I have for a beautiful…

Aditi Goel, 30, a budding food entrepreneur, recounts how the tough upbringing of her parents helped her come to terms with her vitiligo and how she is ready to pull the punches when faced personally or professionally with discrimination because of her depigmented skin. My first vitiligo patch appeared when I was two-years-old. It was under the eyes. My parents freaked out when they saw the discoloured skin on my face. Not because they were unaware of the disease, but because of the harsh…

MHR, as she prefers to be referred to as, has been battling Behcet’s Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disease for the last 17 years. Having been through various stages of pain, depression and hopelessness, body image issues she has tried ayurveda and yoga, to get some relief. She is keen to spread awareness on auto-immune disorders and wishes that doctors not treat her as guinea pig. First diagnosis I was diagnosed with Behcet’s Syndrome in 2001, after an illness of over 6 months. I was 23 then. I…

Dr Paromita Ganguli, Senior Dental Surgeon with Fortis, Calcutta, explains the correlation between diabetes and dental care, and how the former, if not controlled, can affect dental health adversely. What are the most common oral health problems affecting persons with diabetes? The stomatognathic system comprising the oral cavity, the lining mucosa, the dentition, the periodontium supporting bone muscles and nerves are usually all affected with diabetes.  The most common diseases are:…