Bangkok--27 Mar--Chai PR
Chulalongkorn Hospital has joined forces with Udon Thani Hospital and Allergan Thailand to promote local activities commemorating “World Glaucoma Week”, an eye-care event aiming to raise general public awareness about the importance of regular eye examinations to preserve vision, as the statistics have shown that over 2 million people in Thailand are at risk of losing eyesight due to glaucoma that goes unnoticed. The activities scheduled for the event include free consult and eye health checks conducted by local ophthalmologists as well as foreign eye specialists and a seminar titled ‘Early Glaucoma Detection: Critical Steps to Prevention of Blindness.’
Dr. Prin Rojanapongpun of Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of Medicine stated, “Eyes are one of our most precious assets. They are vital for quality of life and need regular care. Unfortunately, most people only realize the importance of eye sight when an illness or damages occur to them. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and one of the biggest health care concerns in Thailand. Many Thais are taking their own and their loved ones’ health for granted and unnecessarily exposing themselves to all kinds of diseases and other health problems. It is important that all sectors in the society work together to educate the public, motivating them to fight off an unhealthy lifestyle and embracing a healthy one, encouraging regular eye health checks in order to control or avert glaucoma, which is typically an asymptomatic disease.”
It is estimated that almost 3 million people across Thailand are suffering from undetected glaucoma, which develops gradually and painlessly, without symptoms. Most of glaucoma patients are in the northeastern region while far fewer cases are found in the southern provinces. Among these, 9 out of 10 may have never noticed that they have it. The 3 most prevalent eye problems Thai people endure nowadays are cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma — the leading and most serious cause of vision loss. The people who are at high risk for the disease are mostly over the age of 40, and those with a family history of glaucoma.
A field research within the vicinity of Bangkok shows that many in the capital suffer from a less-common type of glaucoma called closed-angle (or angle closure) glaucoma, which if left untreated, will lead to loss of sight. This is why finding and treating glaucoma early is important to prevent blindness since more than 200,000 people in Bangkok who are over the age of 50 are at high risk for the disease. Age and family health history are the most important and telling risk factors since the proportion of glaucoma patients is increasing as our population becomes older. In any case, the scariest part about glaucoma is that it has no symptoms. Damage progresses very slowly and destroys vision gradually; the person remains unaware of any problem until a majority of nerve fibres have been damaged. Treatment cannot recover the sight, and—along with it—the quality of life, that has been lost. There are socioeconomic consequences for the individual, their families and the country when they become blind.
Dr. Sirivat Chaiear of the Department of Ophthalmology, Udon Thani Hospital, revealed that the number of patients with glaucoma is now on the rise. Various factors that play a role in the development of the illness are old age, increased intraocular pressure, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and continuous use of steroids. Currently, there are still people who do not have access to the knowledge of glaucoma as a potentially blinding disease that needs understanding and care. As a result, many patients across the country are suffering from glaucoma-induced blindness that can otherwise be prevented or controlled by early detection and appropriate treatment. Through the cooperation and combined determination of both public and private sectors, the “World Glaucoma Week” campaign presents a great opportunity to help spread awareness about the disease and encourage the people of Thailand to maintain good eye health and avoid the irreversible blindness from glaucoma.
Dr. Margot Goodkin, Medical Director of Ophthalmology at Allergan Inc., stated that the company has initiated several activities in support of the “World Glaucoma Week” campaign with an aim to promote good eye health among the people of Thailand. Allergan envisions that by increasing the awareness and knowledge of the general public about the importance of prevention activity and regular eye examinations, patients and high risk individuals can learn to change their lifestyle for the better, thus having more chance of preventing or slowing continued vision loss and able to live a comparatively healthier life while benefiting from the treatment. For this event, Allergan is working in collaboration with Chulalongkorn hospital as well as Udon Thani hospital in providing free consult and eye health checks by eye professionals.
About Allergan
Allergan is a multi-specialty health care company established more than 60 years ago with a commitment to uncover the best of science and develop and deliver innovative and meaningful treatments to help people reach their life’s potential. Today, we have approximately 10,800 highly dedicated and talented employees, global marketing and sales capabilities with a presence in more than 100 countries, a rich and ever-evolving portfolio of pharmaceuticals, biologics, medical devices and over-the-counter consumer products, and state-of-the-art resources in R&D, manufacturing and safety surveillance that help millions of patients see more clearly, move more freely and express themselves more fully. From our beginnings as an eye care company to our focus today on several medical specialties, including eye care, neurosciences, medical aesthetics, medical dermatology, breast aesthetics, obesity intervention and urologics, Allergan is proud to celebrate more than 60 years of medical advances and proud to support the patients and physicians who rely on our products and the employees and communities in which we live and work. For more information regarding Allergan, go to: www.allergan.com.
Distributed on behalf of Allergan (Thailand) Co., Ltd. / by Chai PR Co., Ltd.