World Glaucoma Week Focuses Attention on Eye Disease that Affects 400,000 Canadians

March 7-13 marks World Glaucoma Week, a global initiative to raise awareness of glaucoma – one of the most common eye diseases among older people and the second leading cause of blindness in older North Americans.

Glaucoma affects 400,000 Canadians, many of whom are undiagnosed and therefore untreated. As the population ages, these numbers are expected to increase, doubling to 800,000 by 2030. Unfortunately, many people with glaucoma are unaware that they have it until there is a large amount of irreversible vision loss.

“World Glaucoma Week is an opportunity not only to highlight the importance of early detection and treatment but also to build awareness of advances in glaucoma research,” says Dr. Neeru Gupta, National Coordinator for the week.

Dr. Gupta, a scientist specializing in glaucoma research, is on the Board of the Glaucoma Research Society of Canada, the only charity in Canada dedicated solely to glaucoma research.

“People can find out about the progress being made in glaucoma research and support this vital research by visiting our website at www.glaucomaresearch.ca,” says Dr. Gupta.