WORLD Glaucoma Week 2015 is being observed from March 8 to 14, and in honour of this occasion, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has, for the first time in Guyana, introduced laser treatment for open-angle glaucoma by a procedure called Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT).This signal achievement is being offered at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) which, for the past 4 years, has been providing an enhanced glaucoma service at the Eye Clinic since the addition of Glaucoma Specialist, Dr. Shailendra Sugrim – the first Guyanese ophthalmologist to be specialised in glaucoma treatment.

A GPHC release has said that, in Guyanese patients, open-angle glaucoma is the most prevalent form of glaucoma. Patients of Afro-Guyanese origin are more prone to develop open-angle glaucoma, and are more likely to have family members suffering from glaucoma.

It has also been found that glaucoma in Afro-Guyanese patients is usually very severe and more difficult to treat.

There are many ways to treat open-angle glaucoma. Over the past years, GPHC patients have been exposed to two common methods of treating glaucoma: by medication (eye drops) or by surgery. With addition of laser treatment, open-angle glaucoma patients will now have a third option for treatment.

Laser treatment for glaucoma is not recommended for all patients; hence patients need to be carefully selected by the Glaucoma Specialist to determine if they meet the criteria for treatment.

Laser treatment is a practical alternative to using drops, and success depends on the patient’s profile and ability to respond to the treatment. Those who do not respond to either eye drops or laser treatment may eventually still need to undergo surgery.

Specialised laser equipment can also treat closed-angle glaucoma, which is another less common form of glaucoma in Guyana. It has already been available in Guyana for quite some time.

The laser machine also has the capability to treat posterior capsular opacity, which occurs in patients who have previously undergone cataract surgery.

This year, in observance of World Glaucoma Week, the GPHC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Guyana Vision 2020 Committee, Eye Care Guyana, the Guyana Optometrists Association and the ANSA McAL Group of Companies, will be hosting a grand glaucoma screening exercise, dubbed “Check your eyes for Glaucoma”, on Thursday, March 12, at Fogarty’s Ground Floor from 10:00 hrs to 15:00 hrs.

Ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses and optometry students will be present at a booth to screen all members of the general public for glaucoma.

Vision testing, eye pressure testing, and examination of the eye nerve will be done. The Guyana information pamphlet on glaucoma would also be distributed at this location.

The exercise is intended to provide opportunity for members of the public who have never had their eyes checked for glaucoma to do so free of cost.

The hospital offers daily eye clinics on weekdays, and patients there are given eye examinations for the detection of glaucoma. Patients need to be referred to the hospital before they can obtain an appointment for these services. Referrals can be obtained from their general physicians.

(By Navendra Seoraj)