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Hundreds turn out for glaucoma screenings
As World Glaucoma Week continues, hundreds of Guyanese were yesterday treated to free screenings for the condition by trained personnel.
The event was slated to begin at 10:00am on the Fogarty’s ground floor and allowed persons to have their eyes checked for glaucoma by trained ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses and optometry students.
Hundreds turned out for free glaucoma screenings yesterday
However, Glaucoma Specialist Dr. Shailendra Sugrim told this newspaper, that persons had begun showing up long before the start time.
By noon, the assigned area was packed and sign up forms were no longer being given out. Sugrim said the event was designed to cater to about 400 persons and when this number was reached they regrettably had to turn persons away.
“The response was overwhelming; the crowd was so much that we had to have a lot of crowd control. But we’re nonetheless happy about the turnout,” Sugrim said.
Neville Bobb, who turned up to have his eyes tested, said he had turned out shortly after 10am. When he arrived, he said he was given number 263. Two hours later he was still waiting for his number to be called.
Bobb explained that he had never had his eyes checked for glaucoma and had decided to take up the opportunity because it was less hassle and was also free.
“When you go to the hospital it’s a long, drawn out story,” Bobb reflected.
He commended the event and called for more to be conducted throughout Guyana. However, he noted, the screenings needed to be better organised with crowd control.
Other persons indicated that they had arrived at the event since 7am.
Sugrim said that it had been difficult to set up the screening exercise and said that better planning had been needed.
“It was a bit haphazard but we tried our best. For next year we’ll probably look at doing the screenings for the entire glaucoma week,” he added. He said too, that the shortcomings will be used to better the next screening.
The event was organised by a number of bodies including the Ministry of Health and the Guyana Vision 2020 Committee, and Sugrim said it was the first screening event for glaucoma to be held in Guyana.
He explained the occasion garnered about 30 volunteers. These volunteers came from a number of institutes including the Georgetown Public Hospital, the University of Guyana and the Ministry of Health. Ansa McAl Limited, which distributes drugs, was also present, Sugrim said.
World Glaucoma Week 2015 is being held under the theme “B.I.G. – Beat Invisible Glaucoma”. The campaign’s name was chosen, as worldwide, many people suffer from glaucoma without knowing it. The week will conclude tomorrow.
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