A campaign jointly conducted by different associations in connection with the World Glaucoma Week created awareness on glaucoma among the common people in the town on Monday.
The Namakkal District Blindness Control Society, Namakkal branch of the Indian Medical Association, Rotary Club of Namakkal Poultry Town, Lions Cub of Namakkal Melwyn Metro and Lions Club of Namakkal South jointly organised the campaign.
The campaign was inaugurated by M. R. Embasekaran, Director of State Rural Health Services, in the presence of M. Saraswathi, Joint Director of Health Services, P. Renganathan, project director, District Blindness Control Society.
The highlight of the campaign is a ‘blind walk awareness’ programme on the theme “beat invisible glaucoma”.
Covering their eyes with black ribbon, Dr. Enbasekaran and others distributed pamphlets containing the details on glaucoma and how it affected vision. The pamphlets also explained how to get rid of it.
They walked for some distance on the roads surrounding the bus stand and distributed pamphlets. They also distributed the pamphlets to the commuters present in the bus stand in the town and also in the buses.
Dr. Enbasekaran said that glaucoma was the third leading cause of blindness in the country affecting 12 million people in the country. Glaucoma can affect any age group, including newborn, infants, children and elderly people and blindness from glaucoma is irreversible.
He said that early detection is the key for preserving vision.
Dr. Enbasekaran called upon the people to approach the ophthalmic wing of the government hospitals, government medical college hospitals, primary health centres to check their intraocular pressure to rule out glaucoma.
The people suffering from pain and redness, severe eye pain, colour holos, diminution of vision, tubular vision, diminution of night vision, frequent change of glasses, should approach the government headquarters hospital in the town or the government hospitals functioning in their regions for testing glaucoma.
Subramanian, president of the Namakkal branch of the IMA, Devaraj, president of the Lions Club of Namakkal Melwyn Metro, students of the Aravind Nursing College also participated in the campaign.
