LUCKNOW: The 19-year-old visually impaired Paridhi Varma who made it to Indian Institute of Management- Lucknow despite only 10% vision has now all reasons to smile. Following TOI's report on Paridhi, this TOI correspondent received an e-mail from a Mumbai-based woman wanting to speak to Paridhi, to tell her there is no reason to lose hope. Thane (Mumbai) resident Surbhi Roshan told TOI that her husband, Roshan suffered from the same medical condition Paridhi has and was cured completely.

TOI spoke to Roshan who explained how macular degeneration impaired his vision for 16 years. "It was in March 1999 I began to experience problem reading and driving. When we visited an optician, he said there is a dot on the retina of my left eye and we began visiting retinologists across Mumbai and also went to UK. They referred my disease as 'idiopathic' (condition arising spontaneously or for which cause is unknown) and said it is incurable,'' Roshan told TOI on phone from Mumbai. By 2003, Roshan lost 80% vision in both eyes. His disability forced him to quit his cushy job (he was vice-president in actor Ajay Devgn's film production house). For the next two years, he was at home, mostly in dark rooms. Two months back Roshan met a doctor who helped him regain his vision to quite an extent.

"When I met him, I couldn't read the alphabet board at the doctor's clinic even from half a metre. After one month of attending his workshop, I can now read the first line from six metres away,'' said Roshan.



When TOI visited IIM-L campus to meet Paridhi and share with her this breakthrough, she was celebrating with her parents the coverage she got in TOI.



On being told that her disease is curable, all that Paridhi could say was, "Really? Are you serious? How is this possible? All doctors have told me that macular degeneration can't be cured.''



Jumping with joy, Paridhi turned to her mother and said, "Wow! Mom, I will soon be able to see the world properly!'' Her mother Chandra Prabha resolved to take her to Mumbai to the doctor referred to by Surbhi Roshan.
Paridhi's father, Satendra took Surbhi's number from the TOI correspondent and immediately called her up. He then spoke to Roshan and briefed him about Paridhi's disease. "We had lost all hope, but I would like to thank TOI and Roshan for taking up her cause,'' said Satendra, who briefed Roshan about Paridhi's problems.



"We told him how Paridhi can't read or write on her own. And the number of doctors we have approached till now, all of whom have just one answer that Macular Degeneration is incurable. All he said is not to worry and come to Mumbai where he will fix up an appointment with his doctor. We are so grateful to him,'' said Satendra, adding it was ignorance that led to his daughter losing 90% vision.



The parents said, "We were both working when she was a child and a maid looked after her and spent time with her only on Sundays. When we helped her with studies, she would lift the book and bring it extremely close to her eyes. We never realised she is unable to read from far and thought that she is doing it mischievously,'' said Chandra Prabha.



Satendra exhorted parents of disabled children to encourage them. "In fact, we should not let them feel they have any kind of disability. Paridhi wanted to swim, play football and drive and I taught her everything,'' said Paridhi's father.



Paridhi's friends and relatives across the country have now formed a WhatsApp group called, 'Congrats Pari' after her feat was highlighted in TOI.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/Flicker-of-hope-for-visu...