The Optical Delusion

Kesh Patel
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Medicine
  • Daily

The Optical Delusion explores glaucoma, sight loss and the wider systems that shape how people live, adapt and access support. Each short episode takes one credible source - from research and treatment to technology, policy and accessibility - and asks what it really means in everyday life. Evidence comes first, but it is examined through lived experience, thoughtful questioning and plain English. Calm, curious and practical, the podcast looks beyond the obvious story to find the questions that matter. The Optical Delusion is written and editorially directed by Kesh Patel, with AI-assisted drafting, synthetic narration and an automated production workflow designed to significantly reduce visual screen time. For a podcast about vision, that seemed like a reasonably sensible place to start.

  1. 2 days ago

    Episode 18 – Are you part of the glaucoma conversation?

    Leaving an appointment with a treatment plan doesn’t always mean feeling part of the decision. Drawing on a review of communication in glaucoma care, this episode explores what helps patients ask questions, discuss difficulties with eye drops and understand what might happen next.

  2. 5 days ago

    Episode 17 – What does it cost to stay independent?

    When you live with vision impairment, spending on lighting, transport or practical support can be essential to everyday independence. Drawing on RNIB’s 2026 cost-of-living research, this episode explores participants’ experiences of cutting costs, the limits of familiar money-saving advice, and why understanding what an expense enables matters.

  3. 22 Oct

    Episode 16 – What does restoring sight actually mean?

    An experimental treatment combining gene therapy and specialised goggles improved light sensitivity in some people with advanced retinitis pigmentosa. This episode explores what those early results mean, why detecting light differs from useful everyday sight, and how we should judge claims of restored vision.

  4. 19 Oct

    Episode 15 – Could the way you sleep influence your eye pressure?

    Does your sleeping position meaningfully affect glaucoma, or are modest changes in eye pressure being overinterpreted? This episode examines research on posture, head elevation and pillows, asking what the evidence can — and cannot — tell us about glaucoma progression, individual risk and the importance of sleep quality.

  5. 15 Oct

    Episode 14 – What makes someone actually adopt accessible technology?

    Why do some accessible technologies become part of everyday life while others never quite get adopted? This episode explores what research on blind and low-vision workers reveals about usefulness, cost, training, confidence, workplace support and the adaptive mindset that can help turn a tool into something genuinely usable.

  6. 12 Oct

    Episode 13 – What if the future of assistive technology isn't assistive technology?

    Envision’s decision to stop active development unless a partner is found raises a wider question about the economics of specialist accessibility. This episode explores how mainstream technology, from smart glasses to tactile control surfaces, can sometimes become effective assistive technology when it is affordable, adaptable and genuinely usable.

  7. 8 Oct

    Episode 12 – Should people with glaucoma be taking vitamin B3?

    Vitamin B3 is attracting serious interest as a possible neuroprotective strategy in glaucoma, but promising biology is not the same as a proven treatment. This episode examines what the human evidence actually shows, why high-dose nicotinamide is not routine glaucoma care, and the difference between supporting general health and changing the course of disease.

  8. 5 Oct

    Episode 11 – Does glaucoma mean changing how you exercise?

    A glaucoma diagnosis can make everyday exercise feel suddenly uncertain. This episode examines what current research says about fitness, temporary changes in eye pressure and glaucoma outcomes, and why avoiding exercise unnecessarily may carry physical and psychological costs of its own.

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About

The Optical Delusion explores glaucoma, sight loss and the wider systems that shape how people live, adapt and access support. Each short episode takes one credible source - from research and treatment to technology, policy and accessibility - and asks what it really means in everyday life. Evidence comes first, but it is examined through lived experience, thoughtful questioning and plain English. Calm, curious and practical, the podcast looks beyond the obvious story to find the questions that matter. The Optical Delusion is written and editorially directed by Kesh Patel, with AI-assisted drafting, synthetic narration and an automated production workflow designed to significantly reduce visual screen time. For a podcast about vision, that seemed like a reasonably sensible place to start.

Information

  • Creator
    Kesh Patel
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    19
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kesh Patel
  • Show Website
    The Optical Delusion