On World Glaucoma Week to be observed from March 9, Department of Ophthalmology of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur is organising an awareness campaign in the city.
The institute will organise a Glaucoma walkathon on March 9 at 9 am and hold a Glaucoma screening camp of March 10. 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. If left untreated, most types of glaucoma progress (without warning or obvious symptoms to the patient) towards gradually worsening visual damage and possible blindness. This visual damage is mostly irreversible, and this has led to glaucoma being described as the "sneak thief of sight".
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, yet 90% could have been prevented. Everyone over the age of 40 years must undergo glaucoma screening to prevent the disease at right state, said Dr Ankur K Shrivastava of the Department of Ophthalmology of AIIMS.
Around one crore people globally have become blind from the disease and this number will rise as the population ages and increases. Owing to the silent progression of the disease - at least in its early stages - up to 50% of affected persons in developed countries are not aware of having glaucoma and are receiving no treatment. This number rises to 90% in less developed parts of the world.