OdishaLIVE Bureau
Creating awareness for Glaucoma can save millions of people from losing their vision.
World Glaucoma Week March 10-16 2019, is a joint initiative between the World Glaucoma Association and the World Glaucoma Patient Association. In the ongoing Glaucoma Week, come let’s know more about the significance of this awareness week and about the disease. With a core purpose to eliminate Glaucoma-related disability worldwide, World Glaucoma Association in joint collaboration with World Glaucoma Patient Association has been running an awareness week from last 10 years.
Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness. Based on occurrence studies, it is estimated that 79.6 million individuals will have glaucoma in 2020. At least, half of those with glaucoma are unaware that they are affected. In some developing countries, 90% of glaucoma is undetected.
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve of the eye, which is basically the structure that relays what the eye sees to the brain. The eye contains a fluid known as aqueous humor that provides nourishment to its internal structures. In some eyes, abnormalities in the drainage system lead to impairment of the normal aqueous humor outflow, and IOP increases. This high IOP may damage the optic nerve head. If left untreated, continued damage to this structure may lead to visual field defects, visual impairment (noticed as foggy/cloudy vision), and blindness.
Causes and Types of Glaucoma
In majority of cases, glaucoma occurs in susceptible individuals. This is called Primary Glaucoma. The Secondary type of Glaucoma is caused by previous ocular trauma, asssociated systematic disesase, use of medications, consequences of complicated eye surgeries. However, the highest cause of Glaucoma remains the sufficiently high IOP leading to damage to the optic nerve. In other cases the cause of Glaucoma seems to be the inability of the eye to handle mechanical stress where the nerve fibers leave the eye or because of poor blood supply to these same nerve fibers.
Treatment
It is important to know that glaucoma cannot be cured, only the further damage can be prevented by using various modalities of treatment like Eye drops, Systematic Medications, Laser & Incisional Surgeries. Hence it is advised to visit an Opthalmologist regularly.
World Glaucoma Association is an independent, impartial, ethical and global organisation for Glaucoma science and care which aims to educate, aware, impact technologically to people and also Opthalmologists around the world.
The International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) is running a campaign named “Focus on: Glaucoma” with a series of activities like webinars, blogs and lectures. A high-profile lecture on various issues of Glaucoma and ways of treating it will be given tomorrow i.e 12th March, 2019 at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in London. Prof Sir Peng Khaw, Dr Winifred Nolan and Ms Jess Blijkers will be the key speakers for the Lecture.
LV Prasad Eye Institute has carried various awareness programs in its primary and secondary centres. They also held awareness walks at its various centres and adjoining areas on 10th March. The Bhubaneswar centre facilitated awareness interaction with patients and according to sources similar interactions will be carried out throughout the week.
Report by: Joydev Majumdar
