Glaucoma Awareness Week took place on 28 June – 4 July 2021 and this year’s theme was family and loved ones.
It’s been a year like no other and many people have been unable to be with their family and loved ones. So, with the timing of Glaucoma Awareness Week 2021 falling just as the restrictions are being lifted across the UK, we wanted to celebrate the opportunity to come together while also sharing important information that could help save sight.
Firstly, we’re raising awareness of the family link with the disease. Did you know that someone has at least a four-times higher risk of developing glaucoma if they have a close blood relative who has it? So, if you have glaucoma, you should tell your relatives as they need to have their sight tested regularly.
Secondly, we’re starting a conversation about how we can support family members who are caring for someone with glaucoma. When someone you care about is diagnosed with glaucoma, our support services and information resources can help you understand the disease better.
You are at least a four-times higher risk of developing glaucoma if you have a close blood relative who has it.
Even though Glaucoma Awareness Week 2021 might be over, you can still get involved all year round. The most important action you can take is to start talking to your family and friends about glaucoma. Glaucoma Awareness Week is all about starting this important conversation
Aside from getting the conversation about glaucoma started, we’ve got a few other ideas for activities you can do to mark Glaucoma Awareness Week, and we’ve created a whole range of resources for you to use.
If you’re living with glaucoma, we need your help to encourage your family members to attend sight tests every two years.
Glaucoma can be treated. The earlier it is detected, the more successful the treatment is likely to be in controlling it and preventing sight loss. Most people with early glaucoma have no symptoms. That’s why it is so important to ensure that your relatives have regular eye examinations. They might even be entitled to a free NHS-funded sight test.
Conversations about your glaucoma diagnosis can be daunting. But we’re here to support you every step of the way. Call our helpline team if you’ve got any questions or concerns.
If you’d prefer to get the conversation about glaucoma going in a more informal way, why not try some of these ideas out:
You can still help us spread the word! We created a whole host of new resources for you to use during Glaucoma Awareness Week, which can be accessed free of charge. From social media posts you can share on your own channel to posters you can print and display, you can still raise awareness about glaucoma throughout the year.
Whether you’re an individual wanting to raise awareness with your friends and family or an organisation that wants to arrange a fundraising event to mark Glaucoma Awareness Week, you’ll find everything you need to get started.
Click the button below to view all the resources you can download and order today.
If you’d like to help us increase awareness of glaucoma to the public by sharing your story for use on our digital channels, send us a message at marketing@glaucoma.uk
During Glaucoma Awareness Week, we presented the support group titled ‘Childhood Glaucoma: A parent’s guide’. The session is was hosted by Mr Joe Abbott FRCOphth, a Consultant Paediatric Ophthalmic surgeon and lead for glaucoma since 2012 at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. He is an expert in childhood glaucoma, retinoblastoma, paediatric cataract, ocular trauma, cranio-facial diseases and medical education.
Glaucoma Awareness Week takes place on 28 June – 4 July 2021 and this year’s theme is family and loved ones.
Glaucoma Awareness Week is an annual awareness-raising opportunity where we encourage people across the UK to talk about glaucoma. Over 700,000 people in the UK have glaucoma. Half of them don’t know they have it. We want to end preventable glaucoma sight loss and that starts with raising awareness of the disease.
Glaucoma Awareness Week takes place on 28 June – 4 July 2021 and this year’s theme is family and loved ones.
Glaucoma Awareness Week is coordinated by us, Glaucoma UK. But it wouldn’t be possible without the people who come forward to give a face to our campaign and give a voice to the different experiences of the growing number of people in the UK with glaucoma. You can meet the amazing people who have shared their stories with us for Glaucoma Awareness Week 2021 here.
For Glaucoma Awareness Week 2020, our mission was for more people in the UK than ever before to know just how important it is to look after your eye health. We also wanted to let everyone know that if you or someone you love has been diagnosed with glaucoma, Glaucoma UK is here for you.
We asked our members and supporters to help us reach more people during Glaucoma Awareness Week.
We also launched our new brand identity and new website, designed to make it easier for you to find information and contains new resources to help you live well with glaucoma, as well as launching our redesigned range of helpful resources for people living with glaucoma, which can be ordered FREE through our website here.
As part of our Glaucoma Awareness Week 2020 activities, we asked our younger supporters (aged 4 – 11), to colour in our logo design for a chance to have their artwork displayed on our social media and featured in our membership magazine.
The winner, chosen by Glaucoma UK’s graphic designer, was 8 year old Will.
You can read all about it, and see some of the other brilliant entries, in the Summer 2020 edition of our magazine.
