Experts Suggest Regular Eye Checkup To Avoid Vision Loss

Vijayawada: Glaucoma Awareness Week organised by LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) to raise awareness about the disease that can affect both adults and children concluded here on Sunday.

The week-long commemoration involved social media campaigns, workshops for practitioners and continuous medical education (CME) sessions. It culminated with the glaucoma awareness walk. MLA Bode Prasad was the chief guest at the valedictory. About 300 people participated in the walk which began at the LVPEI, Kode Venkatadri Chowdary Campus Vijayawada and ended at the Tadigadapa main centre.

Worldwide estimates put the figure for those with glaucoma at around 80 million. Approximately 50 per cent of them are unaware of it and this number may be even higher in underdeveloped countries. This is because glaucoma is asymptomatic, till a very late stage.

If untreated, glaucoma may progress to blindness. Glaucoma, an eye problem associated with increased eye pressure, is called the ‘Silent Thief of Vision’ because the vision once lost to it cannot be restored.