Sankara Eye Hospital launches Glaucoma awareness campaign
Sankara Eye Hospital, Bengaluru, among India's leading community eye care hospitals, has organized a mass awareness campaign from March 6-13 on early detection and treatment of Glaucoma, on the..
SANKARA HAS has organized the week-long free eye screening camp to detect early symptoms of the disease at its hospital in kundanahalli, besides a series of public awareness meets across the city, quiz shows on Glaucoma in hospitals and institutes, mass media handouts and a television panel discussion on Glaucoma. Rising incidence of Glaucoma in India- Quick facts:
· Glaucoma is the world’s second leading cause of preventable blindness, affecting approximately 70 million people worldwide and more than 12 million in India. The number of Glaucoma patients in India is expected to rise significantly to 16 million by 2020 due to an ageing population and lack of early detection symptoms of the disease.
· Population-based studies suggest that more than 90% of Glaucoma cases in India remain undiagnosed. This is in contrast to 40-60% rates of undiagnosed disease in more developed countries. These high rates of undiagnosed glaucoma translate into significant rates of glaucoma blindness.
· Glaucoma seems to affect the quality of life to a greater degree in India than in the West.Speaking at a press briefing in the city today, Dr Meena Menon- Head of the Glaucoma Services at Sankara said, “Since Glaucoma may not have early symptoms, the first step would be to be aware of the risk factors and ensure regular and complete eye checks. If left unchecked, it could irreversibly damage the optic nerve and result in vision loss over time. We have handled more than 2000 Glaucoma cases in our Bangalore hospital alone in the last 3 years. Sankara’s campaign is designed to increase public awareness of the risk factors for Glaucoma and reinforce the critical importance of having regular, complete eye examinations, thus trying to detect the disease early. Vision loss from Glaucoma being permanent, it needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.” N.B Jayaprakash, Director, Dignity Foundation, Bengaluru Chapter said, "We have seen a number of elderly and senior citizens including members of our foundation struggling with vision problems. Increasing age, especially if one is over and above 35, is a primary risk factor for Glaucoma. The consequences of vision loss due to Glaucoma can greatly affect the independence and the self-esteem of the elderly and in turn they start reporting symptoms of nervousness, anxiety and stress. As a non-profit organization working closely for the aged, we are glad we are joining hands with Sankara Eye Hospital in raising awareness of this disease and working towards its prevention and early cure”
Glaucoma- the second leading cause of preventable blindness in India
Fact sheet
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that cause progressive damage of the optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye to carry visual information to the brain. Glaucoma is a general term for a group of eye diseases that, if left untreated, will elevate pressure inside the eye, ultimately causing optic nerve damage. This damage creates irreversible loss of vision. Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve. The optic nerve carries the images we see from our eye to the brain. Once incurred, visual damage is mostly irreversible, and this has led to glaucoma being described as the "silent blinding disease" or the "sneak thief of sight".
What causes Glaucoma?
Clear liquid, called the aqueous humor, flows in and out of the eye. This liquid is not part of the tears on the outer surface of the eye. The flow of aqueous fluid would be similar to having a sink with the faucet turned on all the time. If the "drainpipe" gets clogged, water collects and pressure builds up. If the drainage area of the eye is blocked, the fluid pressure within the inner eye may increase, which can damage the optic nerve.
Symptoms of Glaucoma
In chronic form of glaucoma, usually patients have no complaints in early stages or sometimes he/she may feel heaviness, headache or need to frequently change spectacles. Only in advanced stage he/she will experience reduced field of vision. In this type of glaucoma, patient usually feels a sudden attack of moderate to severe pain in and around eye with blurring of vision and rarely vomiting also. Sometimes patients may notice colorful circular halos around point source of light.
· Glaucoma seems to affect the quality of life to a greater degree in India than in the West.Speaking at a press briefing in the city today, Dr Meena Menon- Head of the Glaucoma Services at Sankara said, “Since Glaucoma may not have early symptoms, the first step would be to be aware of the risk factors and ensure regular and complete eye checks. If left unchecked, it could irreversibly damage the optic nerve and result in vision loss over time. We have handled more than 2000 Glaucoma cases in our Bangalore hospital alone in the last 3 years. Sankara’s campaign is designed to increase public awareness of the risk factors for Glaucoma and reinforce the critical importance of having regular, complete eye examinations, thus trying to detect the disease early. Vision loss from Glaucoma being permanent, it needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.” N.B Jayaprakash, Director, Dignity Foundation, Bengaluru Chapter said, "We have seen a number of elderly and senior citizens including members of our foundation struggling with vision problems. Increasing age, especially if one is over and above 35, is a primary risk factor for Glaucoma. The consequences of vision loss due to Glaucoma can greatly affect the independence and the self-esteem of the elderly and in turn they start reporting symptoms of nervousness, anxiety and stress. As a non-profit organization working closely for the aged, we are glad we are joining hands with Sankara Eye Hospital in raising awareness of this disease and working towards its prevention and early cure”
Glaucoma- the second leading cause of preventable blindness in India
Fact sheet
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that cause progressive damage of the optic nerve at the point where it leaves the eye to carry visual information to the brain. Glaucoma is a general term for a group of eye diseases that, if left untreated, will elevate pressure inside the eye, ultimately causing optic nerve damage. This damage creates irreversible loss of vision. Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve. The optic nerve carries the images we see from our eye to the brain. Once incurred, visual damage is mostly irreversible, and this has led to glaucoma being described as the "silent blinding disease" or the "sneak thief of sight".
What causes Glaucoma?
Clear liquid, called the aqueous humor, flows in and out of the eye. This liquid is not part of the tears on the outer surface of the eye. The flow of aqueous fluid would be similar to having a sink with the faucet turned on all the time. If the "drainpipe" gets clogged, water collects and pressure builds up. If the drainage area of the eye is blocked, the fluid pressure within the inner eye may increase, which can damage the optic nerve.
Symptoms of Glaucoma
In chronic form of glaucoma, usually patients have no complaints in early stages or sometimes he/she may feel heaviness, headache or need to frequently change spectacles. Only in advanced stage he/she will experience reduced field of vision. In this type of glaucoma, patient usually feels a sudden attack of moderate to severe pain in and around eye with blurring of vision and rarely vomiting also. Sometimes patients may notice colorful circular halos around point source of light.
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