Families unite for congenital glaucoma brunch

Glaucoma Australia recently hosted a congenital glaucoma brunch at the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary Gold Coast and what a memorable day it was! 

It was lovely for everyone to meet face to face and a good opportunity to hear from some local specialists and experts on all things 
congenital glaucoma. The event was also live streamed to patients who were unable to attend in person and to the Glaucoma New Zealand community. 

Topics included treatment options by Dr Mark Chiang (Paediatric Glaucoma Ophthalmologist), the psychological impact of vision impairment by Dr Sau Kuan Cheong (Guide Dogs Queensland) and an occupational therapist toolkit for kids with glaucoma by Paediatric Occupational Therapists Cara Hansen & Karen Van de Hoef (Vision Australia). Glaucoma Australia Ambassador Kelly Mercieca also shared her lived experience with congenital glaucoma.

The day was certainly positive all round as was the feedback received in our post event survey. One patient said: “We absolutely loved the brunch and couldn’t be more grateful for the day. Between networking with other families and the speakers we were able to piece a few of the missing puzzle pieces together for my son who is only 3. It gave us a lot of insight we otherwise wouldn’t have had”.

Another patient born with glaucoma and now is her 60’s stated. “As an older CG patient I believed it would be good for new parents to see someone living with it for a long time and perhaps help with any questions they have. Thank you for allowing us to come together to support each other”.

Glaucoma Australia would like to acknowledge and thank AbbVie for sponsoring the event, including the venue, catering and flights for our interstate families to join us on the day.