Glaucoma UK launches campaign sharing people’s experiences of glaucoma during Glaucoma Awareness Week

The charity Glaucoma UK is marking this year’s Glaucoma Awareness Week, currently running until 2 July, by sharing people’s unique experiences of what glaucoma means to them.

The new campaign asked people to complete the sentence ‘My glaucoma…’ The charity said it received an “incredible amount of campaign entries.” The campaign aims to highlight the stories of people living with glaucoma, about their diagnosis, or diagnosis of a loved one, while also reaching people who are unaware that they may have glaucoma and urge them to book an eye exam.

The charity shared that many submissions revealed that people were not aware they had glaucoma and it was detected during a routine eye test. The charity added that some people had a family history of glaucoma which made them realise it is a risk factor for developing the disease.

A Glaucoma UK member, Frances, commented: “My glaucoma was diagnosed by my optometrist at a routine eye check, and before any damage had occurred in my eyes. I have been very lucky.”

Through the submissions, Glaucoma UK has created posters as well as an online gallery featuring the responses in a bid to reach the estimated 350,000 people in the UK who have glaucoma but are unaware of it. The posters can be found on digital screens on High Streets across the UK.

Glaucoma UK chief executive, Joanne Creighton, said: “We are grateful to everyone who has shared their stories for this year’s Glaucoma Awareness Week campaign. This campaign would not be possible without the support of those who have taken the time to send in their entries and participate in the various activities. Glaucoma UK’s aim is to end preventable glaucoma sight loss, and that starts with raising awareness of the disease through such campaigns. Glaucoma can be symptomless and early diagnosis is key to saving your sight.”

Glaucoma Awareness Week is an annual awareness-raising opportunity that aims to encourage people to get their eyes tested regularly.