Often described as the silent thief of sight, glaucoma is estimated to affect 600,000 people in the UK and more than 64 million people worldwide. Plenty of UK optical companies got involved with World Glaucoma Week, which runs from March 12-18, to raise awareness of the eye disease, its symptoms and the importance of early detection.
Specsavers
During the week, Specsavers ran a million pound health information campaign in partnership with the International Glaucoma Association (IGA). The campaign promoted glaucoma awareness in TV and national press advertising, online activity and posters and health information in Specsavers stores. The campaign is based on research carried out by City, University of London which found men are 16% more likely than women to suffer advanced vision loss on diagnosis of the condition. Men were found to be at a greater risk of losing their sight than women because they ignore warning signs and do not seek medical attention.
IGA chief executive Karen Osborn said: ‘We estimate that half of all cases [of glaucoma] remain undiagnosed and people are unaware they are slowly losing their sight. The health awareness campaign the IGA is working on with Specsavers will educate about the importance of regular eye examinations before significant sight is lost.’
In order to reach its own target for World Glaucoma Week, Specsavers boosted the number of its optometrists who have completed the Locsu/Wopec Level 1 glaucoma accreditation to more than 1,900 in England and Ireland. The company ran a series of refresher workshops and produced a suite of online support materials to allow optometrists to practise key skills such as Goldmann applanation tonometry, Van Herick technique and indirect ophthalmoscopy using Volk lenses.
Specsavers CEO and co-founder Doug Perkins called for more clinicians across the profession to be educated and accredited in order to offer the full scope of hospital-level optometry in the community. He said: ‘It is important to ensure that as many optometrists as possible are fully confident and competent to deliver the range of enhanced services that patients, wherever they live, will gradually come to expect from their high street optician.’
Specsavers also hosted a live Twitter question and answer session, where optometrists replied to patients who submitted questions online with the hashtag #EyeHealthMatters.
Vision Express
Making a return to the streets to mark the week was Vision Express’s Vision Van which visited locations in the north of England and Scotland where glaucoma is prevalent. The mobile testing unit offered passersby in Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stockton-on-Tees free eye tests, as well as information provided by the IGA.
Writing in a blog posted on the Vision Express website, CEO Jonathan Lawson said: ‘We at Vision Express take our responsibility to promoting better eye health very seriously indeed. World Glaucoma Week is the perfect opportunity to highlight and reinforce that commitment with hands-on, free screenings for people in some of the UK’s most glaucoma-affected cities.
With the IGA by our side, we are offering a unique, expert service that anyone can take advantage of, regardless of age or health history. If last year is anything to go by, our teams will be stopping glaucoma in its tracks and changing lives along the way.’
The Vision Van in Manchester
The company also featured a patient success story from one of its Vision Van hotspots Glasgow, where store optometrist Nalini Kayani identified an unhealthy rise in pressure behind 80-year-old Leslie Philp’s eyes. After a swift hospital referral, Philp was diagnosed with primary open angle glaucoma despite not suffering with any symptoms.
Kayani said: ‘We’re very happy that Leslie’s glaucoma is able to be treated simply and effectively with drops. Over 90% of individuals who are diagnosed early will retain useful sight for life – just like Leslie.’
For those who missed out on the Vision Van, Vision Express is also offering a downloadable free eye test voucher on its website from March 8-26.
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Specialist eye hospital Moorfields supported the campaign by holding a series of free events for patients, carers and the public. The week began with a glaucoma awareness seminar where experts offered practical advice and answered questions on the condition. Moorfields’ City Road hospital entrance transformed into an information hub where the Moorfields’ pharmacy team offered tips and tricks to make it easier to apply eye drops. The hospital’s popular ‘Know Your Drops’ clinics were held throughout the week in other locations throughout London.
Bird Opticians
Sheffield independent practice Bird Opticians took to social media to spread awareness of the campaign by offering free Optomap checks during a standard sight test throughout the week. Dispensing manager Suzanne Lynch said: ‘As the name suggests we decided to get involved with the glaucoma week to make more people aware of the condition. Although awareness is better than it used to be, there’s still a lot to be done to show patients what happens when people don’t manage their eye health.’
Having first advertised the free Optomap offer a few weeks ago, the practice has seen an increase in the number of patients inquiring into the service and why they may need it. ‘The feedback we have received so far has been very positive, lots of our patients have been asking questions or have at least mentioned it to their family members of friends. It’s great to see the week is doing what it should be doing,’ said Lynch.
BBR Optometry
Considering 20-25% of all patients in Hereford based BBR Optometry suffer with an eye disease, World Glaucoma Week is of huge importance to the independent practice. To mark the week, the practice also used social media to spread the message among its patients.
Practice owner Nick Rumney said: ‘We’ve had quite a few uptakes from our boost in social media, it helps to push the message out. We are also planning to have a health and wellness feature in the local newspaper.’
Over the past few years, the practice has seen an increase in the number of cases of glaucoma, but Rumney said this could be down to several factors. ‘We have three staff members with glaucoma certifications who are now able to exercise a high degree of investigation in the clinic.
‘The biggest issue in glaucoma awareness is more to do with inaccessible and vulnerable groups who just don’t go to have their eyes tested. For example, the African-Caribbean community have a higher prevalence of glaucoma but don’t access services quite as much. There’s a reasonable level of awareness in the rest of the population, so it’s now about targeting vulnerable groups.’
