DIABETES AND EYE CARE
CASE STORY: MR. ARAMUGAM
Madurai, India, 2005. ”My grandchildren think I am spectacular because I am able to do so much exercise.” 54 year old Mr. Arumugam is in fact more energetic than most of us. At four o’clock in the morning he gets out of bed to take a morning walk close to the nearby mountain. After an hour of brisk walking he returns for his breakfast and a wash, with plenty of time to take the 7 o’clock bus to work. “I walk to keep healthy and I eat healthily too. I need to, because of my diabetes.” This Sunday morning he walked more than usual; he had to go to the nearby temple. The building used for worship opens its doors one Sunday each month to volunteers from the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai for them to conduct free diabetes screening. “I go every month to have my blood glucose tested. If I hadn’t followed the advice given to me by the doctors since I was diagnosed with diabetes, I think my life would have been in danger.” Mr. Aramugam has taken a seat in the eye screening bus, in front of the ophthalmologic camera. Within a few minutes, the technician has taken enough pictures of his retinas and sends them via satellite to Aravind Eye Hospital.
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