Glaucoma support groups

Shared knowledge is a great way to ensure you have the best possible glaucoma journey and can keep doing the things you love. Here, Jo Knight talks through some of the tips and tricks she’s learned from living with the disease.

This session looked at the little-known Charles Bonnet Syndrome, a condition which causes people with over 60% vision loss to experience hallucinations. We were joined by Judith Potts, Founder of the Esme’s Umbrella charity.

Here, we discussed in detail what pigment dispersion glaucoma is, who gets it and how it’s treated. We were joined by Wi Siene Ng, a Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon for NHS Wales.

In this session, Ophthalmic Consultant Andrew Tatham discussed all the latest research into glaucoma and what future treatments could look like.

Here, we were joined by Nishani Amerasinghe, an Ophthalmic Consultant from University Hospital Southampton, to give an introduction to what glaucoma is.

In this session, our Helpline Manager Helen Doe discussed some of the biggest topics about glaucoma.

In this session, we were joined by Wai Siene Ng, Consultant Ophthalmologist, to tell us all about minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries (MIGS).

This session looked at the challenges and experiences of moving from child services into adult services. We were joined by Amba Smith, a young person with glaucoma, and Velota Sung, a Consultant Eye Surgeon.

James Morgan, professor of ophthalmology, joined us in this session to share his knowledge on the future of glaucoma care.

In this session, we were joined by Professor Andy McNaught, Consultant Ophthalmologist. He discussed some of the recent changes to glaucoma care as well as some of the aspects that have stayed the same for a number of years.

Liz French joined us to talk about her personal experience of glaucoma surgeries. Liz has glaucoma in both eyes and has undergone various treatments to save her sight.

This session addressed the latest research into glaucoma and genetics. We were joined by Anthony Khawaja, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Associate Professor at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.

David Lunt, Consultant Eye Surgeon at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, joined us to explain the different surgeries used to treat glaucoma.

Hari Jayaram, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital, discussed some essential information about glaucoma including treatment options and ongoing research.

Two practitioners from the ophthalmic pharmacy team at Moorfields Eye Hospital explained how the staff in pharmacies can assist you with your eye drops.

Glaucoma UK member Jan Redman spoke about her own experiences of being diagnosed and receiving treatment for the disease.

This session addresses what normal tension glaucoma is and what being diagnosed with it might mean for you. We were joined by Gus Gazzard, Head of Glaucoma Service at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

This session provides clear information on how glaucoma can affect your driving vision, how this is assessed and how the processes involved work. We were joined by Dr Josie Fields, Clinical Lead and Director of the Plymouth Group of Specsavers stores.

This session, titled ‘All about eye drops’, was recorded on Wednesday 3 November 2021. Trish Ganszczyk, our own Glaucoma UK Helpline Advisor, talked about how to manage your eye drops and the different aids available to help you.

Our session ‘Glaucoma and cataracts’ was recorded on Tuesday 30 November 2021. We were joined by Pouya Alaghband, Consultant Ophthalmologist at York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Trust.

Our session ‘What is glaucoma and how can Glaucoma UK help?’ was recorded on Tuesday 31 August 2021. We were joined by Karen Osborn, former CEO of Glaucoma UK, who spoke about the basics of glaucoma, the services we offer and who we are as a charity.

Our session ‘Are my eye drops not working or not going in?’ was hosted on 20 September 2021. We were joined by Professor James E Morgan, Consultant Ophthalmologist at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

Our session ‘Childhood glaucoma: a parent’s guide’ on 29 June 2021. We were joined by Mr Joe Abbott, Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmic Surgeon at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Our session ‘Who can help with my glaucoma?’ was recorded on Thursday 11 March 2021. We were joined by Jo Fishwick and Alice Elliott, Eye Clinic Liaison Officers (ELCOS) .

Our session ‘Glaucoma and Eye Drops’ was recorded in Urdu on Wednesday 5 May 2021. We were joined by Nizz Sabir, an Independent Optometrist based in South Yorkshire.

Our session ‘Glaucoma research’ was recorded on Thursday 28 January 2021. We were joined by Dr Andrew Tatham, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at NHS Lothian.

Our session ‘Living with glaucoma’ was recorded on Tuesday 11 May 2021. We were joined by Owen Williams from the Wales Council of the Blind and Rachel Hilton from the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

Our session ‘Glaucoma and Eye Drops’ was recorded on Friday 19 March 2021. We were joined by Ms Angela James, Ophthalmic Pharmacist at NHS Lothian.

Our session ‘Looking after your eyes during Ramadan’ was recorded in April 2021. We were joined by Sally Ameen, consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at London’s Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

This support group was held on Wednesday 13 January. We were joined by Mr David Lunt, Consultant Ophthalmologist at South Tees Hospitals, who spoke about the different types of glaucoma surgery.

This support group was held on Wednesday 16 December 2020. Our speaker was Mr Mike Smith, Glaucoma Specialist from the Royal and Exeter Foundation Trust, who talked about communication in the glaucoma clinic.

This support group was held on Wednesday 4 November 2020. We were joined by Mr David Lunt, Consultant Ophthalmologist at South Tees Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, who spoke about Dry Eye Disease.

This support group was held on Tuesday 17 November 2020. Our speaker was Lisa Cowan, Hospital Optometrist and Senior Specialist Glaucoma Lead for NHS Education Scotland, who talked about glaucoma eye tests.

The glaucoma journey and how COVID-19 is changing eye care, was held on the 29th of July Mr Nick Strouthidis, consultant ophthalmologist and director of medical services at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

This support group, Glaucoma for the Newly Diagnosed, was held on the 16th of July, with Dr Hari Jayaram from Moorfields Eye Hospital in London. You can watch it below.

This support group was held on the 22 July 2020 with Dr Laura Crawley who spoke and answered questions from those who had signed up to attend.

This support group, Driving and glaucoma, was held on the 04 August 2020 with Jonathan Clarke of Moorfields Eye Hospital, member of DVLA driver’s medical panel for vision.

Our support group ‘My Glaucoma is Getting Worse – What Might Happen?’ , was held on Tuesday 11 August 2020 with Mr Pankaj Agarwal of Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, Edinburgh.

Our session ‘How does glaucoma ‘look’ and what’s Kate Moss got to do with it?’ on June 3 2021. We were joined by Professor David Crabb, Professor of Statistics and Vision Research at City University London.