IN observance of World Glaucoma Week 2019, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) will be conducting free glaucoma screening sessions.
Persons will be given the opportunity to access the free screening during Glaucoma Week, observed from March 10 to 16.

According to the GPHC, for the past eight years, the hospital has been offering an enhanced glaucoma service at its Eye Clinic.
The hospital will be having daily glaucoma screening sessions during the week from Monday, March 11 to Friday, March 15 from 12:00hrs to 14:00hrs at the GPHC Eye Clinic. The staff ophthalmologists will screen approximately 40 patients per day.

Vision testing, eye pressure testing and eye nerve examination will be done. As patients arrive at the clinic, they will be required to register with the clerks and will then be given a slip for the screening process. Registration will be limited to the daily quotas.

Eligible individuals for screening include all individuals who are 40 years or older; individuals below 40 years are invited only if they have the following risk factors: persons with relatives diagnosed with glaucoma; and persons already diagnosed with glaucoma.
In collaboration with Medi Pharm Inc, the Department of Ophthalmology has also designed a glaucoma poster to spread awareness to the general public. These posters will be distributed countrywide and will encourage patients to have their eyes screened.

“In Guyanese patients, open angle glaucoma is the most common 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,” the GPHC said.

There are many ways to treat open angle glaucoma. Over the past years, hospital patients have been exposed to the common methods of treating glaucoma such as medications (eye-drops), laser procedures and glaucoma surgery.
According to the main public hospital, a series of activities have been planned to observe World Glaucoma Week, pointing out that many people have glaucoma and they are unaware of it.

Invisible glaucoma, the hospital said, acts silently by causing damage to the optic nerve (the eye nerve which allows us to see the world) without the patient having any notable symptoms.
“Bit by bit over the years, this damage continues unknown to the patient, until almost the entire nerve is destroyed. This nerve damage (called glaucomatous optic neuropathy) is permanent and cannot be reversed,” said the GPHC.

At that time, when the patient begins to start experiencing visual symptoms, they would already have had significant nerve damage.
Once glaucoma is diagnosed early, treatment can be started early to prevent persons from becoming blind. Glaucoma can be controlled with treatment so that patients can enjoy comfortable vision throughout their life.

The earlier the diagnosis, the less damage done and the more vision there is to save. At the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, the Department of Ophthalmology offers services for diagnosing and treating glaucoma.

The hospital offers daily eye clinics on weekdays where patients can be given eye examinations for the detection of glaucoma. Patients, however, need to be referred to the hospital before they can obtain an appointment for any service.

These referrals can be obtained from their general physicians. According to Head of Department and Glaucoma Specialist at the Georgetown Public Hospital, Dr. Shailendra Sugrim, last year, in observance of World Glaucoma Week, some 238 patients were screened for glaucoma.