Glaucoma UK is a small charity but has a big impact!
Read our latest news including recent updates about our organisation and sight saving research, as well as stories where people living with glaucoma share their thoughts and experiences.
Showing: All Posts
news
15th January 2021
Run the London Marathon in aid of Glaucoma UK
Up for a challenge to kick start 2021? Then why not apply for one of our London Marathon places. Find out more and register your interest here and be a sight saving hero for people living with glaucoma.
COVID is changing the face of glaucoma care in the UK at a scale and speed that we’ve never seen before. We want to make sure that the patient voice is heard, and that people living with glaucoma get the chance to influence these changes. Please take 10 minutes to complete our survey and share your experiences and views with us, and we’ll make sure they’re shared with commissioners and policy makers.
Our glaucoma helpline will be closed from 2:00pm on Friday 18 December 2020 until 9:30am on Monday 4 January 2021 for the festive period. If you need to speak to someone when our helpline is closed, these contacts may be helpful:...
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Foundation Trust, Professor Pete Shah, has succeeded Mr James Kirwan as UKEGS President. Professor Gus Gazzard, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and Director of glaucoma service at Moorfields Eye Hospital, has become President-elect.
The announcements were made as part of the UKEGS annual conference, which was held on 27 November 2020 and took place digitally due to current COVID-19 restrictions.
UKEGS, which forms part of Glaucoma UK, is a non-profit national scientific society. It aims to promote the exchange of knowledge between glaucoma specialists, stimulate glaucoma research and protect the interests of people living with glaucoma, or at risk of developing the disease.
Professor Shah is also Co-Director at the Birmingham Institute for Glaucoma Research, and recently became a Glaucoma UK Trustee. He said: “I am thrilled to take up the roles of UKEGS President and Trustee, and consider it a great honour be able to serve in these roles. I look forward to working with James Kirwan as UKEGS past-President and our new President-elect, Gus Gazzard. The next several years will bring transformations in glaucoma care that will enable us to protect our patients with increasing certainty. Looking after our patients and looking after our specialists goes hand-in-hand – each is the other’s best advocate. By working together, we will get more resources to help serve glaucoma patients and continue on our journey to making glaucoma blindness a thing of the past.”
Professor Gazzard is UCL Professor of Glaucoma Studies and a member of Glaucoma UK’s Clinical Advisory Panel. He commented: “I am delighted to have been asked to be President-elect of UKEGS. I look forward to promoting our speciality and helping to bring together all of those interested in and affected by glaucoma to make glaucoma care in the UK the best it can possibly be.”
Glaucoma UK’s Chief Executive Karen Osborn stated: “We are pleased to welcome Pete and Gus as President and President-elect of UKEGS, and look forward to working with them closely over the coming year. UKEGS is a vital platform which allows glaucoma specialists to come together and share their work and expertise in glaucoma care. I have no doubt that Pete and Gus’ vast knowledge and experience in the area will ensure that the strong UKEGS leadership we have enjoyed over the last few years will continue. Their appointments ensure the Society will thrive in its mission to promote knowledge exchange and foster the interests of people living with glaucoma.”
We’d like to recognise the professionals or volunteers who make a real difference to the lives of people living with glaucoma. So we’re asking for nominations for our ‘Excellence in Glaucoma Care Awards 2020’.
You can nominate an individual or team from any field of glaucoma care, maybe someone who provided just the right information at the right time, or someone who gave you time and emotional support when you needed it most. It could be an excellent surgeon or nurse, an optometrist who gave you sight-saving advice, a volunteer who runs a great Support Group, or someone who’s made a breakthrough in glaucoma research.
To nominate someone who has made a real difference to you, please either email or write and tell us:...
Ganfort eye drops packaging – what’s been your experience?
Our Helpline has recently received a call from one of our members who has experienced great difficulty in removing the plastic seal covering the cap from Ganfort eye drops. The seal is very hard and the tag breaks off.
Allergan UK, who manufacture the drops, are looking into the issue. If you have experienced the same difficulties, please get in touch with Allergan UK on 0808 238 1500 or email ukcustomerservices@allergan.com to report the problem. A solution may be found if they are aware that it is a widespread issue, so it will be helpful for them to have feedback from a variety of people.
Glaucoma Support Group: Glaucoma eye tests – How they work and what they tell us
On Tuesday 17 November 2020, we were joined by Lisa Cowan, Hospital Optometrist and Senior Specialist Glaucoma Lead for NHS Education Scotland, who talked about glaucoma eye tests.
Our new digital support groups allow you to have your questions answered from the comfort of your own home. For details of our next meeting and to find out how to sign-up, click here.
Our brand new digital support groups allow you to attend from the comfort of your own home and have your questions answered.
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.
If you would like to attend one of our upcoming meetings, sign up here
Our new weekly lottery has launched today and is giving you the chance to win up to £25,000 every Friday! Could it be you?
For just £1 a week you’ll have the chance to win £25,000 every week. There are also smaller prizes of £1,000, £25 and five entries into the next draw. Having one number will give you a 1 in 63 chance of winning a prize each Friday.
Every entry you play in the Glaucoma UK Lottery will help to raise funds for sight-saving research and to support people living with glaucoma. So what are you waiting for? To find out more and join online, click here.
Opticians are remaining open and can see you safely during lockdown
With COVID-19 restrictions already in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Government has announced new national restrictions in England, effective from Thursday 5 November. It is hoped these restrictions will help to reduce the spread of the virus. Opticians are classed as essential healthcare providers, so you can still visit them for eye appointments during this period.
Your local opticians are taking every precaution to provide a safe and secure environment for their staff and customers during these unsettling times. To ensure maximum safety, they are taking all the steps needed to adhere to the required cleanliness and hygiene standards in all stores. Social distancing measures have also been put in place. All staff will be equipped with PPE, and there should be signage around the store to help guide and direct you safely.
Please help your local store by attending your appointment alone if possible, bringing your own pen, and wearing a face covering or mask.
If you have specific questions about an existing appointment or want to book an eye appointment, you should contact your local opticians directly.
If you have any concerns, our glaucoma helpline team are always here to support you. You can reach them on 01233 64 81 70 or helpline@glaucoma.uk. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5:00pm.
With Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already living under nation-specific lockdown levels, England will be entering a nation-wide lockdown from Thursday 5 November. We have received many calls from people living with glaucoma who are concerned that their treatment and upcoming procedures may be disrupted or cancelled during this time.
In response to these concerns, we have reached out to a number of glaucoma consultants for their feedback. They anticipate that appointments will continue, however should hospital admissions for coronavirus rapidly increase then ophthalmology staff may be redeployed to the COVID-19 wards. These will be junior staff in a first instance, to allow consultants to continue seeing their patients and proceed with any upcoming surgeries.
The intention is still to provide a level of service where possible, therefore if you have been told that you have an appointment, this will hopefully still stand. But should COVID-19 numbers rise sharply, there is a possibility that some appointments and surgeries may be cancelled due to more ophthalmology staff being needed on the COVID-19 wards.
As per the first lockdown, individuals will be assessed and priority given to urgent cases.
If you have any concerns or need advice, particularly during these uncertain times, our glaucoma helpline team are always here to support you. You can reach them on 01233 64 81 70 or helpline@glaucoma.uk. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 5:00pm.
People with glaucoma can usually fly on an airplane without any problems.
Controlled air pressure inside the airplane’s cabin makes up for most of the natural drop in pressure when the plane reaches higher altitudes. A moderate decrease in atmospheric pressure will not cause an obvious rise in eye pressure.
It is always advisable to put your glaucoma drops in your hand-luggage when travelling. The air inside a plane can be dry. If you have ocular surface disease (dry eyes), or are on a long-haul flight, you may need to put drops in while in the air....
