AWARDS

I am glad to announce that I have received the prestigious  INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR AWARD from the AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY this week...

I have received a total of 5 awards from America, 4 from AAO and 1 from AMA

4 from AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
1) ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
2) INTERNATIONAL OPHTHALMOLOGIST EDUCATION AWARD
3) LEO AWARD
4) INTERNATIONAL SCHOLAR AWARD

1 from AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
1) PHYSICIAN RECOGNITION AWARD


For me this is a great achievement more so as I have received all these awards at such a young age and also being on my own in practice in this relatively small city, Pune...
for my work on Oculoplasty, Cometic eye surgery, Squint (strabismus), Low vision aids, artificial eyes...and my research work

Children and their eyes

Getting good results in ambyopia is difficult. BUT...

Let me share the story of this young boy who presented to me with ambyopia in one eye .. amblyopia is lazy eye where one eye is weaker than the other. 

A young boy improved from 6/ 60 to 6/6 just by patching and perseverance. He was the most motivated of the lot and he really did well. He used to patch about 12 hors per day and from Feb 2013 to June 2013 his progress was remarkable and steady. 

When he did not want to wear the patch he used frosted glasses which were fitted on curved frames so that he would not peek from the sides. 

Astounding success, anything is possible when there is motivation and keen desire. .

 

Hyperhomocysteinemia and the eyes

Did you know that hyper homocysteine levels are a major problem in the Indian population. Many of us are even vegetarians and may suffer from B 12 deficiency.

This is an independent risk factor for the progression of diabetic retinopathy and other vascular diseases like non arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy.

Many cases on investigation do not have any abnormality except increased homocysteine levels. To supplement this in the diet there are different formulations available which contain methyl folate, methyl cobalamin and pyridoxal phosphate. Sometimes patients have pernicious anemia in which the stomach cannot digest or absorb the vitamins.

I guess awareness is the key in all these conditions. If needed one should test B 12 levels and homocysteine levels in the blood.

Low vision aids and electronic magnifiers

The new age electronic magnifiers are indeed wonderful devices for improving the vision. These are hi tech devices which are handy and portable. Excellent in performance and sturdy, the batteries are also long lasting.

Many patients especially the elderly want to read. These devices help them to read well especially the newspapers and the religious scripts. The immense happiness the patients get by reading after a long time of suffering is indeed satisfying to experience.

These can magnify upto 30 times, these can be used for distance and for near, in the classroom for children for reading and taking notes. Overall these are very useful devices.