IGA campaign extends to Notting Hill Carnival 2014

20 August 2014

The International Glaucoma Association will be advertising at the Notting Hill Carnival (23 to 25 August) as part of the organisations campaign to raise awareness of the need for African Caribbean’s to have regular eye tests to detect glaucoma and prevent blindness from glaucoma.

Comments Russell Young: “The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe. We are pleased to be involved, and hope that our advertising on screens throughout the Carnival will encourage people to book an eye health check”.

This latest advertisement builds on the last 12 month’s activity aimed at the African Caribbean audience which began in Manchester with billboard campaigns and extended throughout National Glaucoma Awareness Week, June 2014 with advertising in bus shelters in London, promotions with African Caribbean newspapers, local community activity and press and PR.

The risk of glaucoma increases over the age of 40. People of African Caribbean origin are four times more likely to develop glaucoma when compared to Europeans, and are more likely for it to develop earlier and be more severe. These are some of the messages that IGA has been stressing throughout the campaign.

“We hope that our activity will act as a wake-up call and encourage people to book an eye test, or to call our helpline and speak to our advisors about the health of their eyes. In this way we aim to reach some of the 300,000 people with undiagnosed glaucoma in the UK.  With no symptoms in its early stages most members of the public have little or no knowledge of the damage that undetected glaucoma can have on their sight. Once sight is lost, it is never recovered”, concludes Young.

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