Glaucoma is seen as the leading cause of irreversible blindness in India. It is a disorder associated with pressure in the eye, and is characterized by damage to the optic nerve leading to irreversible blindness. The disorder is not a single disease, but has multiple causes, with a final common insult, which is injury to the optic nerve.
Currently, 1.12 crore Indians suffer from glaucoma, with 11 lakh people bilaterally blind. Though the exact cause of glaucoma in the majority of cases is not precisely known, it can occur in a minority due to a variety of causes ranging from the use of steroid eye drops, secondary to eye injury, or even complications after an eye surgery. Glaucoma more commonly affects people beyond the age of 40 years. High myopes, diabetics and those with a positive family history have higher risk of developing glaucoma.
What is worrying is that 90 percent of Glaucoma in the community is undetected, mostly because of lack of awareness. Most patients are unaware that:
a) They could be suffering from glaucoma, because the disease causes very late onset of symptoms, which could be as late as when they begin experiencing loss of vision;
b) Presenting themselves to eye care providers at a very late stage makes restoration of visual function quite impossible;
c) Early diagnosis can reduce progression of the disease and prevent blindness; and
d) All it takes to prevent such a situation is regular eye check-up or screening.
Since staying informed is the first step to tackle glaucoma, there is a great need to create public awareness on the importance of periodic screening.
The following are the key events chalked out for the Glaucoma Awareness Week:
March 10 - Glaucoma Awareness Walk, from Prasad Labs to Jubilee Hills Check Post and back, starts at 7 am
March 16 - Patient Education Forum, LVPEI’s KAR campus, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, 4 - 6 pm
March 17 - “Glaucoma: Basic & Advanced Course” CME at LVPEI’s Kode Venkatadri Choudary campus in Vijayawada.
About L V Prasad Eye Institute : The L V Prasad Eye Institute provides high quality comprehensive eye care to all people; provides sight enhancement and rehabilitation services at the Institute and through its rural eye health network; offers professional ophthalmic training at all levels; and conducts cutting-edge eye care research. The Institute is a World Health Organization (WHO) Center for the Prevention of Blindness and a Global Resource Center for VISION 2020, a worldwide initiative for the elimination of avoidable blindness led by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. For further information, visit the Institute’s website, www.lvpei.org.
