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Introduction
A message from Dr. Remo Susanna, President of the World Glaucoma Association, President of the Latin America Glaucoma Society and President-elect of the Pan American Glaucoma Society.
Welcome to the All Eyes on Glaucoma™: Keeping an Eye on the Future Video Tips Series. Leading global glaucoma experts have collaborated together to bring you this educational information in time for World Glaucoma Day. World Glaucoma Day is a joint initiative by the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and World Glaucoma Patient Association (WGPA). This second annual World Glaucoma serves as a reminder to experts across the globe that glaucoma is a serious but treatable disease. The goal is to raise awareness about the disease and to encourage patients, those individuals potentially at risk for glaucoma, and eye health professionals to utilize resources from sources like the All Eyes on Glaucoma campaign to help understand and avoid the consequences of glaucoma.
Keeping an Eye on the Future means being proactive about your eye health today in order to help prevent problems with your vision tomorrow. The video series, The Five Tips To Help Prevent Vision Loss and Successfully Manage Glaucoma, includes information that can serve as useful reminders that patients and eye health professionals can utilize to help ensure successful glaucoma management.
Five Tips To Help Prevent Vision Loss and Successfully Manage Glaucoma:
- Remember to get a Complete Eye Exam including assessment of your Optic Nerve
- Know your Eye Pressure or Intraocular Pressure (IOP)
- Take your Medication as prescribed
- Know your Risk Factors - Raise Awareness about the Disease
- Visit an Eye Health Professional If you are At Risk – Earlier Diagnosis and Appropriate Treatment may Potentially help Reduce the Overall Economic and Humanistic Burden of Glaucoma
Glaucoma is the world’s second leading cause of blindness – and its prevalence is rising.1 Globally, the number of cases is expected to rise from 60.5 million in 2010 to 80 million in 2020.2 With proactive disease management, there are steps that can be taken to help ensure a successful outcome for patients. Proactive glaucoma management may potentially reduce the overall disease burden on patients, society and the health economy.3
All Eyes on Glaucoma is a global educational program to raise awareness about glaucoma, the importance of complete eye exams including assessment of the optic nerve, and the need for timely and appropriate diagnosis to help reinforce the importance of preserving vision. The program works to educate patients, those individuals potentially at risk for glaucoma, and eye health professionals, on the importance of regular risk assessment, early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment at all stages of the disease.
Following this introduction, you will find a video series that includes individual videos focused on each of the five tips and hosted by my colleagues.
Although these video tips can serve as a helpful guide, patients should continue to work with their eye health professional in order to achieve the best possible results as a team.
On World Glaucoma Day and throughout the year, I encourage you to make eye health a priority by regularly visiting your eye health professional.
References
- World Health Organization. Glaucoma is the Second Leading Cause of Blindness Globally. In Focus, 2004.
- Quigley et al. The number of people with glaucoma worldwide in 2010 and 2020. BMJ 2006; 90:262.
- Traverso, CE, Walk, JG er al. Direct Costs of Glaucoma and Severity of the Disease: a Multinational Long
Term Study of Resource Utilization in Europe. BR J Ophthalmol 2005; 89:1245-1249.
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