Awareness rally taken out in Silchar to mark ‘World Glaucoma Week’

March 8: An awareness rally was organised on the occasion of ‘World Glaucoma Week’ (8-14 March, 2020) at Silchar. This year’s theme of ‘World Glaucoma Week’ is ‘B-I-G’ Beat Invisible Glaucoma. The rally was organised by National Health Mission, District Health Society, Cachar.

Participants were present in the awareness rally from different organisations, like Deptt of Opthalmology, SMCH, Saksham, Indian Red Cross Society, Choudhury’s Eye Hospital etc. The which rally orginated from near SM Dev Civil Hospital,  Silchar went through all major points of the town and finally reached Gandhi Bagh.

Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve is damaged at the point where it leaves the eye. This nerve carries information from the light sensitive layer in your eye, the retina, to the brain where it is perceived as a picture. To maintain a constant healthy eye pressure, the eye continually produces a small amount of this fluid and an equal amount which flows out of the eye. If you have glaucoma, the fluid does not flow properly through the drainage system. Fluid pressure in the eye increases and this extra force presses on the optic nerve in the back of the eye, causing damage to the nerve fibres. Glaucoma is an extremely serious eye disorder which can cause blindness if not treated early.

Early detection of glaucoma is key to preventing later sight loss, as is the importance of sight tests to detect possible glaucoma so that it can be diagnosed by an eye doctor and treated in the community where possible. In the early stages of chronic glaucoma, there are frequently no obvious symptoms and whilst increased pressure in the eye may be an indicator, this will not necessarily mean you have the disease. With fewer early warning signs than other major eye diseases, the most efficient detection method for glaucoma is by regular eye examination. Those most prone to developing glaucoma are people over 60 and people with a family history of the disease.