The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has begun preparing a comprehensive national survey aimed at identifying the causes of blindness and its prevalence among people aged 50 years or over in Qatar.
Dr Khuloud al-Mutawa, head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Department at the MoPH, said the survey will also help collect and provide data on health services in ophthalmology, the official Qatar News Agency reports.
The MoPH, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), is observing World Glaucoma Week from today until March 12.
As part of the initiative, the ministry and its partners will be carrying out several activities to generate awareness of glaucoma and warn the public of its risks.
Dr al-Mutawa said, "Glaucoma is one of the most important eye diseases that cause vision loss in Qatar, and it ranks first as a cause of blindness for those who are over 50 years old."
Dr Badria al-Maliki, assistant executive director of Continuing Care and Integrated Services at PHCC and national co-ordinator for Blindness Control, said: "Routine screenings of elderly people and diabetics at healthcare centres have led to the discovery of new cases in people who had no prior history of glaucoma."
She added that the dissemination of awareness messages and educational advice related to this disease, and how to prevent various diseases that may affect the eye, has begun, stressing the need to consult ophthalmologists for early examinations and measuring eye pressure.
Dr Zakia al-Ansari, ophthalmology consultant at HMC, said: "Glaucoma leads to damage of the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the cornea to the brain and is one of the most important diseases causing permanent vision loss in the world. So, we stress the importance of regular eye examination to avoid blindness."
Noting that glaucoma does not show any symptoms in most cases, Dr al-Ansari said: "The patient, therefore, does not realise that he is infected until it causes damage to the optic nerve. But the disease can be controlled, and blindness can be avoided through early diagnosis and the start of appropriate treatment." She added that HMC provides tools for early examination and treatment through advanced techniques.
She explained that the ophthalmology clinic receives approximately 500 patients per month with multiple forms of glaucoma, and a patient is treated immediately after diagnosis by the ophthalmologist. The treatment plan is prepared according to a patient's individual needs, pointing out that the treatment cannot remove damage to the eye, but can contribute to the prevention of future vision loss and maintain the level of vision. Loss of sight resulting from glaucoma is a condition that cannot be cured.
Dr al-Ansari also stressed that a glaucoma patient must commit to following the treatment plan determined by the competent doctor, which varies according to the type of glaucoma and the stage which the patient has reached. It may include pharmacological treatment through the use of drops and pills, or laser treatment for some cases, and eye specialists can resort to surgery when the disease worsens, the types of which are determined by the condition and type of glaucoma.
Glaucoma is known as a silent, vision-stealing disease because no pain or symptoms accompany it, so the patient does not realise that he has the disease until it causes permanent damage to the optic nerve responsible for transmitting the image to the brain, and the eye loses the ability to see completely.
Dr Khuloud al-Mutawa, head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Department at the MoPH, said the survey will also help collect and provide data on health services in ophthalmology, the official Qatar News Agency reports.
The MoPH, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), is observing World Glaucoma Week from today until March 12.
As part of the initiative, the ministry and its partners will be carrying out several activities to generate awareness of glaucoma and warn the public of its risks.
Dr al-Mutawa said, "Glaucoma is one of the most important eye diseases that cause vision loss in Qatar, and it ranks first as a cause of blindness for those who are over 50 years old."
Dr Badria al-Maliki, assistant executive director of Continuing Care and Integrated Services at PHCC and national co-ordinator for Blindness Control, said: "Routine screenings of elderly people and diabetics at healthcare centres have led to the discovery of new cases in people who had no prior history of glaucoma."
She added that the dissemination of awareness messages and educational advice related to this disease, and how to prevent various diseases that may affect the eye, has begun, stressing the need to consult ophthalmologists for early examinations and measuring eye pressure.
Dr Zakia al-Ansari, ophthalmology consultant at HMC, said: "Glaucoma leads to damage of the optic nerve, which transmits visual information from the cornea to the brain and is one of the most important diseases causing permanent vision loss in the world. So, we stress the importance of regular eye examination to avoid blindness."
Noting that glaucoma does not show any symptoms in most cases, Dr al-Ansari said: "The patient, therefore, does not realise that he is infected until it causes damage to the optic nerve. But the disease can be controlled, and blindness can be avoided through early diagnosis and the start of appropriate treatment." She added that HMC provides tools for early examination and treatment through advanced techniques.
She explained that the ophthalmology clinic receives approximately 500 patients per month with multiple forms of glaucoma, and a patient is treated immediately after diagnosis by the ophthalmologist. The treatment plan is prepared according to a patient's individual needs, pointing out that the treatment cannot remove damage to the eye, but can contribute to the prevention of future vision loss and maintain the level of vision. Loss of sight resulting from glaucoma is a condition that cannot be cured.
Dr al-Ansari also stressed that a glaucoma patient must commit to following the treatment plan determined by the competent doctor, which varies according to the type of glaucoma and the stage which the patient has reached. It may include pharmacological treatment through the use of drops and pills, or laser treatment for some cases, and eye specialists can resort to surgery when the disease worsens, the types of which are determined by the condition and type of glaucoma.
Glaucoma is known as a silent, vision-stealing disease because no pain or symptoms accompany it, so the patient does not realise that he has the disease until it causes permanent damage to the optic nerve responsible for transmitting the image to the brain, and the eye loses the ability to see completely.
