Glaucoma is seen as the leading cause of irreversible blindness in India. With an aim to bring public focus on the disease, the LV Prasad Eye Institute has chalked a series of activities to commemorate the Glaucoma Awareness Week, which will be held from March 10 to 17. The focus this year is on early detection of glaucoma and prevention. In this regard, the emphasis is on the importance of screening family members of patients with glaucoma, as this disease can affect siblings and children of patients with glaucoma in up to 10-20 per cent.
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.
Glaucoma Awareness Walk will be held from Prasad Labs to Jubilee Hills Check Post and back, on March 10, from 7 am.
On March 16, a patient education forum at LVPEI’s KAR campus, Banjara Hills from 4 to 6 pm and on March 17 a “Glaucoma: Basic & Advanced Course” will be condiected at CME at LVPEI’s Kode Venkatadri Choudary campus in Vijayawada.
For more information, contact:arun@lvpei.org and pvkiran@lvpei.org