World Glaucoma Week is a global health promotion initiative organized by the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) to raise awareness of glaucoma as the leading preventable cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.

Glaucoma currently affects approximately 80 million people worldwide—about half of whom do not know they have the disease and may not have access to much-needed medical care. In Ukraine, for the fifth year in a row, glaucoma ranks first in terms of morbidity and disability among eye diseases.

Glaucoma is a multifactorial eye disease that causes chronic progressive damage to the optic nerve and retinal ganglion cells and is accompanied by visual field defects and, often, increased intraocular pressure. But from 10 to 50% of glaucoma patients have normal pressure glaucoma, and the incidence of this type of glaucoma is steadily increasing every year. It has been described as a "silent blinding disease" and a "creeping sight stealer".

Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide.

Glaucoma treatment can only prevent rapid vision loss and postpone the onset of blindness, but not restore the already existing changes. Therefore, the earlier the diagnosis is made, the more opportunities will remain to preserve vision and prevent the progression of the disease and prolong quality of life.

As part of the implementation of the global program to combat blindness "Sight 2024: The Right to Sight", the World Health Organization (WHO), the European Glaucoma Society (EGS), the World Glaucoma Patients Association (WGPA), the Ukrainian Glaucoma Society, the Department of Ophthalmology In February-March 2023, Shupyk National University of Health Care of Ukraine held a number of events: "Ophthalmological Spring Without Preservatives" NPC, "Current Issues of Children's Ophthalmology", multidisciplinary seminar: "Ophthalmological Catastrophes. Pandemic, war - how to resist stress and preserve eyesight", meeting of the Ophthalmological Society of Lviv and Lviv Oblast, meeting of the Ophthalmological Society of Kropyvnytskyi and Oblast; appearances on television and radio.

Corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Medicine, Professor, head of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Shupyk National University of Healthcare of Ukraine Serhiy Rykov, Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Shupyk National University of Healthcare of Ukraine Iryna Shargorodska, Professor of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Shupyk National University of Healthcare of Ukraine Oksana Petrenko, assistant of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Shupyk National University of Healthcare of Ukraine Nataliya Aleeva, head of the Ophthalmology Department of the Okhmadit State Medical University, professor Yuriy Barinov, graduate students of the Department of Ophthalmology of the Shupyk National University of Healthcare of Ukraine Dmytro Chugaev and Leontiy Netrebin gave a series of lectures in which aspects of early diagnosis and management of patients with various types and types of glaucoma according to modern protocols to achieve optimal treatment results and maintain stable visual functions.

So don't delay and join the World Glaucoma Week! Consult an ophthalmologist soon! Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

You can listen to the information "Glaucoma: how to detect and treat it in time" by following the link:  https://youtu.be/TSmt-g8UkMk