A 3D exhibition was organised on the Beach Road on Friday to raise awareness about glaucoma in view of the World Glaucoma Week, observed from March 11 to 17 every year.
Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi inaugurated the exhibition organised by Aravind Eye Hospital and Puducherry Municipality. Ms. Bedi said that glaucoma was the third leading cause of blindness in India. It can be either genetic or acquired and can be diagnosed by measuring the eye pressure, she said.
Dr. R. Venkatesh, Chief Medical Officer of Aravind Eye Hospital said that glaucoma was the first leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. In India more than 12 million people are affected by the disease but only 5 to 10 % are aware about it.
Glaucoma has very few or no symptoms in the early stages and most of the people are unaware until they lose significant amount of vision. Early intervention can reduce progression of the disease and prevent blindness and all it takes to prevent such a situation is regular eye check-up.
Mr. Venkatesh pointed out that glaucoma affected people are beyond the age of 40 years. A positive family history has been proven to be a strong risk factor for glaucoma. Improving family screening and bringing awareness in families and communities will help reduce the blindness due to glaucoma. Since staying informed is the first step to tackle the disease, there is a great need to create awareness among the public on the importance of periodic screening, he said.
S. Ganessin, Commissioner of Puducherry Municipality, U. Niranjan, Commissioner of GST and Central Excise and P. Perumal Barathi, president, Rotary Club of Pondicherry Elite were present.
