World Glaucoma Day is observed on March 12 every year across the world. This is an important day that seeks to raise awareness about the group of eye diseases known as glaucoma. The day is part of a week of raising awareness about this disease and ensuring that it is caught early. Early detection of glaucoma improves the chances of stopping or at least slowing the disease down with appropriate treatments. The blindness caused by glaucoma is irreversible, but if caught early, the disease can be treated and people will not have to endure the difficulties of blindness when it is preventable.
HISTORY OF WORLD GLAUCOMA DAY
World Glaucoma Day is observed on March 12 every year. This day is observed worldwide as part of the week set aside to raise awareness and eliminate blindness caused by glaucoma.
Glaucoma is the name of several eye diseases that can cause vision loss by damaging the optic nerve. Often the diseases develop slowly and don’t cause any pain, which makes it easy to ignore till it’s too late. Blindness caused by glaucoma is irreversible. However, the disease is treatable if caught early.
Damage caused to the optic nerve by glaucoma can be treated to halt the progression of the disease or, at the very least, slow it down. While there are some causes of glaucoma that have a sudden onset, most of the time, these diseases develop gradually and can be caught in time to prevent blindness.
The leading cause of glaucoma is a buildup of fluid that causes an increase in pressure in the eye. Glaucoma disease is caused when the aqueous humor — a natural fluid produced by the eye — fails to drain out naturally from the eye.
Usually, the fluid drains out of the eye and is replaced with fresh aqueous humor, which the eye produces constantly. However, if something is wrong with the drainage angle, then the fluid will be retained in the eye, and over time, the fluid buildup will increase the pressure on the optic nerve. The fibers on the optic nerve start dying as a result of the pressure. Over time, all the fibers die, causing total, irreversible blindness.
HOW TO OBSERVE WORLD GLAUCOMA DAY
Share information about glaucoma
Many people ignore minor issues with their eyes if they are not accompanied by pain. Educating people about the symptoms of glaucoma is essential.
Take an online course
If you’re a healthcare professional interested in preventing and addressing glaucoma, there are a lot of resources, including courses. Take an online course over at the World Glaucoma Association to brush up on your knowledge.
Run a campaign
Get patients and doctors involved in a social media campaign on this day that raises awareness about the disease. Make sure you have a Q&A session to ensure all the information gets out there.