Doha: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), is celebrating World Glaucoma Week which falls on March 12 to 18, under the theme "The World is Bright, Protect Your Sight".
Glaucoma is the second largest cause of blindness globally for those aged fifty or older, on this occasion, Dr. Khulood Al Mutaweh, Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Section at (MoPH), said: “Qatar participates with many countries around the world the World Glaucoma Week in March of each year in the necessity of increasing public awareness and knowledge regarding this disease and inviting the targeted group to receive eye checkups by the ophthalmologists. This will help in the early detection of this disease, as glaucoma causes a gradual vision loss without any warning signs, therefore it is sometimes called the silent thief of sight.
For her part, Dr. Badria Al Malki, National Coordinator for blindness prevention and Assistant Executive Director for continuing care and integrated services at (PHCC), said that glaucoma is one of the leading causes for blindness in the world, with more than 80 million people infected with it. Through eye clinics in health centers, PHCC has succeeded in detecting and treating many glaucoma cases that have been referred by the family doctors or general practitioners to ophthalmologists.
Dr. Zakia Al Ansari, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Head of Glaucoma Unit at HMC, said: "One of the most important causes of glaucoma is a defect in the drainage of watery fluid inside the eye, causing a high pressure inside the eye. Eventually, this leads to a progressive loss of optic nerve cells and a gradual decline in the visual field and may lead to blindness if not detected early.
Dr. Zakia Al Ansari added: "HMC's Ophthalmology Department coordinates community awareness activities at Souq Waqif on March 17, including free eye examinations for the general public and spreading awareness messages about glaucoma.
Many patients of glaucoma patients have no warning signs until a permanent damage to the optic nerve which is the responsible for transmitting the images to the brain, and here the eye loses the ability to see completely.
