Educating the public about the ‘silent thief’ of sight

The International Glaucoma Association (IGA) has collaborated with pharmaceutical company Santen UK Ltd to launch a series of educational films designed to help people understand glaucoma.

Released to coincide with National Eye Health Week (NEHW), which takes place on 24–30 September, the films feature leading ophthalmology experts who share information about glaucoma, including how it is detected, monitored and managed.

Spokesperson for the IGA, Karen Osborn, described the series as a “comprehensive set of films, which we hope will walk people through what glaucoma is, what to expect from the tests, what help is available and how to overcome some of the issues that people have with taking daily eye drops.”

She explained: “They are useful for people who may have just been referred to the hospital for a diagnosis, for the newly diagnosed patient and also for people who have struggled with eye drops.”

The series of six films include: What is glaucoma by Professor Philip Bloom, consultant ophthalmologist at The Western Eye Hospital and Hillingdon Hospital; Testing the field of vision by Professor David Crabb, Professor of Statistics and Vision Research at City, University of London; Eye pressure and glaucoma by Anne Fiona Spencer, consultant ophthalmic at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital; The optic nerve and glaucoma by Dr Andrew Tatham, consultant ophthalmologist at Princess Alexandra Eye; Intraocular pressure and glaucoma by Fiona Spencer, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital; and About eye drops, by Subhash Suthar, development manager at the IGA.

The videos can be viewed via the association’s website.

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