Eye Opener
World Glaucoma Week
Eye Care professionals in Western Visayas join the worldwide effort to raise awareness on “Sneak Thief of Sight”. The world is coming together March 12 and onward to reinforce awareness and understanding about the importance of early detection of glaucoma, the world’s leading cause of blindness. The Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology (PAO) Western Visayas chapter in coordination with “Samasama ta” (Association of local eye specialists committed to PAO Sight Prevention Committee objectives) and the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) Eye Center are fully supporting this initiative. Starting this year, the whole week within the second and third week of March will be observed worldwide as Glaucoma Awareness Week.
Led by the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and World Glaucoma Patient Association (WGPA), World Glaucoma Day is a unique initiative to help those with an interest in improved eye health to understand the devastating effects of a condition which could affect as many as 60 million people by 2020.
Glaucoma is not just a disease of the elderly. Now is the time to change the public mindset about glaucoma according to Scott Christensen of New York, USA, President of the World Glaucoma Patient Association.
Known as the “sneak thief of sight”, glaucoma is a disease characterized by a gradual loss of vision resulting from the death of the cells in the eye, the optic nerve cells, which transmit visual images through the optic nerve to the brain. As the optic nerve becomes increasingly damaged, permanent vision loss and blindness can occur. Early detection is the key to treating and halting the effects of glaucoma but current worldwide estimates reveal that more than half of the glaucoma sufferers do not even realize that they have the disease.
“When glaucoma is detected early and appropriate treatment is instituted, 90% of the blindness from glaucoma could be eliminated. There are several known risk factors of glaucoma which include increasing age, family history of glaucoma, African and Chinese ancestry, near sighted, high blood pressure and elevated eye pressure (also known as elevated intracular pressure of IOP.) IOP in glaucoman’s early stages offers the best chance of preserving mission.
A global survey of attitude of glaucoma amongst the over 40 population conducted by the All Eyes on Glaucoma campaign showed that knowledge and awareness of the condition is extremely low. A total of 40% people surveyed were unaware that glaucoma is linked to blindness. The survey also showed that less than 50% of respondents had undergone an eye pressure check, a common diagnostic tool which assists the detection of glaucoma increase in older age groups covered by the survey even though the risk of glaucoma increases with age. “Accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment of glaucoma can prevent damage to the optic nerve and preserve healthy vision, which is why comprehensive check-ups that include eye pressure measurements and careful evaluation of the optic nerve are so important,” said Dr. Ivan Goldberg of Sydney, Australia, immediate past WGA president and co-chair of the WGA/WGPA Physician Liaison Committee. “Since vision loss from glaucoma is permanent, glaucoman needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible,” Dr. Goldberg further said. “World Glaucoma Day offers an opportunity to jumpstart awareness activities around the world,” said Dr. George Lambrou of Athens, Greece, Global Project Leader for the Day and Executive Vice Chair of the WGA/WGPA Physician Liaison Committee. “We hope it will also lead to official recognition by healthcare providers and policy makers that glaucoma – and in particular its high undiagnosed rate – is a problem that needs to be addressed.
Newly inducted PAO-Western Visayas Chapter Officers (2010-2012) hit the ground running on the heels of recently concluded “Glaucoma Caravan”. PAO-WV Chapter Officers are: President – Dr. Josefina S. Yap together with Iloilo’s very own glaucoma specialist, Dr. Vincent De Guzman and Dr. Cynthia V. Salcedo (Chairperson of Dept. of Ophthalmology, WVMC) will be guesting at “Serbisyo Publiko” on its 11-12 noon segment at the start of the World Glaucoma Week last March 7, 2010.
Dr. Vice T. Guzman finished his ophthalmology training through a fellowship at the Asian Care Center. For the duration of World Glaucoma Week at WVMC Eye Center (Out-patient clinic of the Dept. of Ophthalmology) there will be a regular lecture forum for patients and/or their caregivers at the waiting area (open to the public) between 3-4 p.m. Monday – Friday (Mar. 8-12) and between 10-11 a.m. (Thurs.-Sat., March 11-13). Other activities will be announced within the week through the support of media and other health care industry partners. Groups and individuals interested in supporting the awareness campaign are encouraged to contact only the local eye care specialists. Year round, WVMC Eye Center conducts glaucoma screening as a matter of routine for all eye center patients with identified risk factors. All eye specialists under PAO-Local Committee for Sight Prevention (LCSP) are committed to the task of sustaining implementation of the eye care program for Iloilo-Guimaras and have adopted the catch phrase “Sama-sama Ta” to highlight the collaboration and partnership between all stockholders on two provinces as well as subtly sound off two other key words of the program: mass (grassroots – the poor/underprivileged being the primary target beneficiaries) and mata (eye-the organ of sight). Dr. Cynthia V. Salcedo is the current chairperson of the LCSP for Iloilo-Guimaras and chairperson of the WVMC Dept. of Ophthalmology. The Western Visayas Medical Center Eye Center has been the official hub and implementing facility for “Sama-sama ta” operations through the staff of the Department of Ophthalmology Dept. Training Officer Dr. Jeremy Saquian is the coordinator for the City of Iloilo while Dr. Emiliano Bernardo serves as coordinator for Guimaras province. More information about World Glaucoma Day can be found at the official website www.wgday.net. To learn more about All Eyes on Glaucoma initiative including the global survey, visit www.AllEyesOnGlaucoma.com.
