The University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) glaucoma stand
The World Glaucoma Association (WGA) launched a ‘Uniting for a glaucoma-free world’ awareness campaign for World Glaucoma Week (WGW) on March 10-16. Glaucoma is the leading preventable cause of irreversible blindness and by 2040 more than 110 million people will have the disease.
More than 50% of cases of glaucoma go undetected in developed countries, increasing to 90% in developing countries, with regular eye exams remaining the best way to prevent against glaucoma damage, the body said.
‘Glaucoma remains, unfortunately, a challenging disease to screen, to diagnose and to treat. Only by uniting our combined efforts as glaucoma specialists, eye care professionals, researchers and the industry can we tackle this blinding disease,’ said WGA executive vice president Kaweh Mansouri.
Green was selected as the campaign colour, which the WGA said was a sign of progress – giving a project the ‘green light’. The word glaucoma also originates from the ancient Greek ‘glaukos’, meaning blue-green haze, while in Japan the word means ‘green-coloured intraocular illness’.
The association called on countries across the globe to ‘think global, act local’ and spread the word about WGW (#GlaucomaWeek #WGW2024) and the importance of regular eye exams. And the world responded. From Mexico and South Africa to Finland and Australia, some 64 countries submitted more than 600 activities signalling their support.
Hospitals, schools, universities and clinics raised awareness about glaucoma through workshops, live-streamed discussions, competitions, fun runs, videos, posters, social media and manned stands. Others conducted dozens of screenings in multiple locations to make a tangible difference to people’s lives.
Across the world
Georgetown Hospital in Guyana screened 40 patients a day throughout the week, while the Swiss Visio Network conducted daily screenings for the general public across nine locations. More than 200 doctors, patients, journalists and hospital staff made a colourful rally in the streets of Bangladesh on March 10 with the slogan ‘Uniting for a glaucoma-free world’.
The event concluded with a lively discussion about the issues surrounding glaucoma at the Bangladesh Eye Hospital and Institute. The Lithuanian Glaucoma Society updated the public about latest developments in glaucoma through radio and TV programmes, while the Spanish Glaucoma Society organised a 10k ‘First solidarity race for glaucoma’ in Seville.
A Go Green Glaucoma cricket championship was organised for the fifth consecutive year by the Mahathma Eye Hospital in Tamilnadu, India, including screening for 170 patients at the Kallukkuzhi Railway ground.
Glaucoma remained the focus throughout the event, from thematic jerseys worn during the professional matches and trophies distinctly named with a glaucoma theme to the spectators wearing green and even an awards gala featuring an informative speech about glaucoma.
Paint a picture
In the UK, organisations large and small lent their support to the global event. Specsavers partnered with the National Gallery in its 200th year to curate a visual demonstration by simulating the varying stages of glaucoma in five iconic paintings during WGW.
Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, 1485 as seen with advanced glaucoma
Botticelli, Caravaggio, Van Eyck and Gainsborough were among the artists whose paintings were altered, appearing as if you were viewing them through the lens of someone with glaucoma.
Giles Edmonds, clinical director at Specsavers, said: ‘Over two million adults in the UK are at risk of losing their vision due to glaucoma. Seeing the loss of details in these famous artworks highlights just what an impact this condition can have, not just when viewing beautiful art, but also in your day-to-day life.’
Joanne Creighton, chief executive of Glaucoma UK (pictured right), added: ‘It’s fantastic to see this creative campaign, in collaboration with the National Gallery, raising awareness about glaucoma while emphasising the importance of regular eye tests.
'Understanding that glaucoma can often be symptomless is crucial; you might not notice any changes in your vision early on, and it’s often called “the silent thief of sight”. Regular eye tests are essential because they’re the best way to catch glaucoma early and give you the best chance of preventing sight loss from glaucoma.’
Spreading the word
To mark WGW, the charity organised three webinars, titled ‘Glaucoma Care, Everywhere’, to showcase glaucoma cases in different parts of the world.
Joanna Hodgkinson, head of support services at Glaucoma UK, said the charity planned to go ‘truly international’, highlighting ‘some of the innovative work happening all around the globe to improve access to screening and treatment for glaucoma in poorer communities’.
Professor of ophthalmology at the University of Sydney, Jonathan Crowston delivered the first session, exploring how care is delivered in Australia, Singapore and the US and how research findings are shared across the world.
The second session looked at how teams in the UK and Africa are working together to develop clinical services across Africa with speakers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Memuna Issah, founder of the Jannatul Firdaus Foundation, delivered the final session, exploring the barriers to glaucoma diagnosis, monitoring and treatment in Ghana.
Light up
For the past two years, the University of Liverpool has joined the worldwide initiative to raise awareness about glaucoma through a series of activities. Dr Carl Sheridan, non-clinical senior lecturer in ocular cell transplantation at the Department of Eye and Vision Science (pictured below right) , said: ‘Liverpool makes a team effort in battling the disease with world-leading discovery science research and first in patient treatments – all happening at the University of Liverpool and St Paul’s Eye unit.’
This year’s WGW awareness activities included presenting displays in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital for staff, public and patients; delivering podcasts for the public and ophthalmology community; conducting school visits and putting up displays around the university buildings, highlighting the department’s work.
The university has also illuminated its buildings in campaign colour green lights for the past two years, providing a visually striking and effective means of raising awareness about glaucoma. ‘Other buildings were lit up in green lights in the same weekend in Liverpool for St Patrick’s, but we hope the message around glaucoma gets mixed in too. The engineering building lights up very well,’ said Sheridan.
Elsewhere, the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) had also marked WGW over the past two years by hosting themed stands in prominent locations within the hospital with colleagues trained to answer questions and distribute leaflets to visitors and patients passing by.
Glaucoma nurse specialist Mary Jane Oca said: ‘As part of UHCW trust values, we thrive to be better in maintaining a worldclass service to our patients. By celebrating Glaucoma awareness, we are filling the gap to provide and educate patients and make the public more aware about glaucoma.
‘It was our great pleasure and in our two years of celebrating of glaucoma awareness, we have received positive and rewarding feedback from staff, patients and relatives.’
Celebrity support
Author and former television presenter, Jane Fallon was also willing to support WGW after revealing that surgery saved her eyesight from glaucoma. Fallon, who is also the partner of comedian Ricky Gervais, discovered she had the condition in 2016 after it was flagged up during a routine eye examination.
‘After my eye test I was told I was showing symptoms of glaucoma. I’d assumed I was just experiencing migraines, but thankfully I still went for a test and it was then that I discovered that the pains in my eyes and the feeling of pressure I had been experiencing were something more serious,’ said Fallon.
‘It is so important that the public is aware of the symptoms of glaucoma so they know when they should seek help. I want to urge everyone to have regular eye tests as opticians will check for any early signs of this awful condition,’ she added.
Following further consultation at the London Ophthalmology Centre, consultant and founder Vik Sharma suggested Fallon should have an intraocular lens (IOL) implanted in each eye.
During the 10-minute procedure, an ultrasound probe was used to break up the natural lens, which was then removed through the same small incision in the front of the eye. Fallon had a multifocal IOL fitted in her right eye and an ‘accommodative’ IOL in her left to give her spectacle-free near and far vision.
Survey results
A national eye health survey commissioned by Sharma in September 2023 revealed that 84% of respondents were unaware of any early symptoms of acute glaucoma including headaches, nausea, seeing multi-coloured halos and the loss of peripheral vision.
In addition, only 34% were aware that glaucoma was one of the main reasons for having regular eye tests, with Sharma recommending yearly examinations for people over the age of 40 or those with a family history of the disease.
‘We are keen to raise awareness of the early signs of glaucoma as the quicker it is detected the better, especially as so many of the public don’t visit their optician unless they see a noticeable change in their eyesight,’ he said.
‘Some people may have medical conditions and hereditary traits that can increase the chances of having glaucoma. This is a disease that can strike anybody so it’s important to get your eyes checked at least once a year.’
- Don’t miss Glaucoma Awareness Week, organised by Glaucoma UK, returning this year on June 24-30.