Glaucoma Information Evening
Release Date: Mar 4th, 2008
When: Thursday 6th March at 6.30pm
Where: Davenport Hotel Merrion Square, Dublin 2.
Two of the country's leading glaucoma specialists will speak at an information evening on glaucoma on World Glaucoma Day, Thursday 6th March.
Professor Colm O’Brien from the Mater Hospital and Ms Aoife Doyle from the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital will talk to the public about glaucoma, looking at what the condition is, how to detect it and what treatments are available.
What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in Ireland. There are no symptoms in its early stages. In fact, up to 40% of the optic nerve can be irreversibly damaged before you notice a change in your vision. However, a thorough eye exam can detect the signs of glaucoma before you realise there is a problem, and although it cannot be cured, the progression of the disease can be controlled and further damage prevented if glaucoma is diagnosed and treated early enough.
Why is early detection important?
50% of people in the developed world do not know they have glaucoma and are not receiving any treatment. Early detection is vital in the fight against preventable blindness.
World Glucoma Day
NCBI will mark World Glaucoma Day on Thursday 6th March 2008. While NCBI has been working to highlight the importance of eye health awareness for many years through a National Glaucoma Week, this is the first time the international event is to be marked in Ireland.