Qatar Joins Global Effort: MoPH Launches Awareness Campaign for World Glaucoma Week

As part of the awareness campaign to raise public knowledge on glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in the world, MoPH has decided to capitalize on World Glaucoma Week, taking place from March 9 to 15 with the theme ‘Uniting for a Glaucoma Free World’ The aim is to create awareness of this chronic, non-communicable eye disease which slowly, irreversibly damages the optic nerve that leads to vision loss.

Glaucoma is also called as ‘silent thief of sight’ it causes gradual loss of peripheral vision without notifications. Most of the patients do not realize having the disease unless their vision is impaired to a greater extent. There is no cure for the disease till now, so it has to be early detected for preserving vision.

Currently, more than 80 million people are globally affected by glaucoma, as it is the second leading cause of blindness. A few studies even suggest that the overall increased number of patients is on upward trend, regardless of innovative medical technology being developed. This highlights the need for an early diagnosis to minimize damage to vision.

Dr. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Thani, Director of the Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention Programs, Department at MoPH, highly recommends an eye checkup for all people who cross the age of 40. He urged those having a family history of glaucoma to get checked often since they have higher risk factors amongst all populations. It is the key factor in preventing severe damage, where early detection allows for timely treatment.

As part of the campaign, the Ministry of Public Health is working together with other health institutions to provide preventive services and promote regular screenings. The Ministry’s effort aims to reduce the negative impact of glaucoma on individual, family and societal levels.