[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Georgetown Public Hospital, in observance of World Glaucoma Week 2015, will be introducing Laser Treatment for Open Angle Glaucoma, by a procedure called Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT).
Over the past years, patients at the hospital have been exposed to the two common methods of treating glaucoma: medications (eye drops); and surgery. With the addition of laser treatment, open angle glaucoma patients will now have a third option for treatment.
However, this type of treatment is not recommended for all patients, hence they will be carefully selected by the glaucoma specialist, to determine if they meet the criteria, before being able to access this treatment.
It is a practical alternative to using drops, and its success depends on the patient’s profile and ability to respond to the treatment. Those who do not respond to either eye drops or laser treatment may still eventually need to undergo surgery.
This specialised laser equipment can also treat Closed Angle Glaucoma, which is another less common form of glaucoma in Guyana, and has already been available in for quite some time. The laser machine also has the capability to treat posterior capsular opacity, which occurs in patients who have previously undergone cataract surgery.
Also on Thursday at Fogarty’s Ground Floor, Water Street, Georgetown, the hospital will be hosting a grand eye screening exercise from 10:00 to 15:00 hrs, which will see ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses and optometry students at a booth proving glaucoma screening and vision testing, along with eye pressure testing and examination of the eye nerve will also be done to members of the public.
They will also be conducting awareness sessions through the distribution of the information pamphlets.
The World Glaucoma Association and World Glaucoma Patient Association has designated March 8 to 14 2015 as World Glaucoma Week. The celebrations to commemorate this event will be held under the theme ‘B-I-G – Beat Invisible Glaucoma.” This campaign was chosen as the worldwide since many people suffer with glaucoma and still are not aware. [Extracted and modified from GINA]
