Kathmandu, April 13:

Eye specialists today said glaucoma could affect anyone regardless of age, sex and profession, so the best way to prevent the disease was by having eyes checked at least once a year.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of Fourth Glaucoma Awareness Week that started on April 8, they said glaucoma was the second major cause of blindness after cataract in Nepal and in the world.

The meet was organised by Nepal Glaucoma Eye Clinic, Tilganga Eye Centre (TEC). Glaucoma expert Dr Suman Shumsher Thapa said though glaucoma was not a curable disease, it could be prevented if identified on time and treated accordingly.

Dr Thapa said, “Every two in 100 persons have chances of having glaucoma and chances of catching the disease increase by 30 per cent if a member in the family has the disease.”

In the campaign held to mark the fourth Glaucoma Week, altogether 203 new glaucoma patients were identified while 265 follow-up patients benefited, it was informed.

Dr Rita Gurung, Deputy Director of TEC, said people don’t realise they have glaucoma until they lose their eyesight completely. “There is no awareness about glaucoma and rural people are losing their eyesight due to lack of medicine for glaucoma,” she said.

Suk Dev Tiwari, president of Glaucoma Support Group said, “There is no need to panic if somebody has glaucoma because it can be treated if diagnosed on time.”

Anil Shah, CEO of Nabil Bank and a glaucoma patient said prevention was the only solution for glaucoma. He also requested all the people, regardless of their age, to have their eyes examined.