This World Glaucoma Week (10–16 March 2024), Glaucoma Australia is urging all Australians to have their eyes checked, as well as reminding those with a glaucoma diagnosis to adhere to their treatment to slow its progression and save precious sight.
Just over a year ago, a glaucoma specialist told Duncan Craib he was “five minutes from midnight”: unless urgent action was taken, he’d likely be blind in two to three months.
Living in York Peninsula community two hour's drive from Adelaide and with no optometrist in her local community, Debra booked an appointment as soon as she could. That’s when she received her life changing diagnosis.
When Bette Smith’s cousin told her they had glaucoma in the family, she did what all Australians should be doing, she got her eyes checked.
People of African ancestry are five times as likely as others to develop glaucoma and up to 15 times as likely to be blinded by the condition, but most research has used data from people of European ancestry.
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine hope to develop new glaucoma therapies by testing human neurons and a regenerative therapy to rescue dying visual neurons. They’ve received a new five year, US$2 million grant from the National Eye Institute for the project.
My mother was diagnosed with glaucoma when she was about seventy, so I was closely monitored. When there were indicators that I could be following the same path, I was referred to a glaucoma specialist.
When father-of-two and Boss Energy CEO Duncan Craib was told he had lost peripheral vision due to glaucoma he was completely shocked – and upset with himself for not having booked an eye check earlier.
In response to the overwhelming evidence that UV damages children’s eyes, Sydney-based ophthalmologists Dr Shanel Sharma and Dr Alina Zeldovich created Beamers sunglasses utilising Optoshield Technology to provide maximum protection.