A Genetics and Genomics expert at the University of Salford has created a film to raise awareness about glaucoma and how the disease can be prevented earlier in life.
Dr Arijit Mukhopadhyay’s film ‘Vision of the blind lady’ focuses on an Indian family with a specific genetic defect of the disease, where the children begin to lose vision at the age of 12.
Mukhopadhyay’s Glaucoma research, which he began 20 years ago and completed in the early 2000s, is being resumed with academics at the University of Salford and researchers in India.
According to the university, the research has shown promise that not only can the disease be slowed down, but if it is caught early enough and operated on, it can be stopped completely.
‘Early diagnosis and early intervention are at the heart of the global focus on precision health which is also aligned with the integration of genomics in human health envisioned by the NHS,’ said Mukhopadhyay.
‘We need healthcare to be primarily proactive where possible, rather than reactive– and use of genetic information is crucial to realise that future.’