Dehradun: To create awareness among the people Department of Ophthamology at Government Doon Medical College Started participation in “World Glaucoma Week 6th to 12th March 2022 with awareness Glaucoma walk from Doon Hospital to Gandhi Park 8 am to 9 am. The walk was included with 20 Faculty and 175 MBBS students . The public in contact during walk was informed about this blinding disease and also public awareness lecture was given in Gandhi Park.Prof . Dr Ashutosh Sayana, Principal ,GDMC , Dehradun said that Glaucoma blindness is preventable but we need to stress a routine screening of all people above 40 Years.
He also informed that we have all the equipment’s for medical and surgical management of Glaucoma. Prof. Dr Daulat Singh, HOD Oncology , said that with help of public awareness we can decrease the blindness due to glaucoma. Prof. Dr Yusuf Rizvi, HOD Ophthalmology , said that with newer screening tools and equipment’s the diagnosis can be made early but patient has to come to Hospital. Dr Sushil Ojha , Associate Professor , Ophthalmology, said that Glaucoma is now second most common cause of Blindness. Its blindness is basically progressive loss of visual field rather than vision loss. If diagnosed early the progression in form of increasing visual field loss can be prevented.
The newer curriculum of MBBS also focuses on Preventive medicine as with this outreach to public is exponentially higher compare to curative medicine. Dr Neeraj Saraswat, Assistant Professor , Ophthalmology said that vision loss in Glaucoma is silent as central vision remains preserved till last stage . He thanked all doctors, public and MBBS students for the participation in the Glaucoma walk.
