BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:Europe/Amsterdam X-WR-TIMEZONE:Europe/Amsterdam BEGIN:VEVENT UID:978@worldglaucomaweek.org DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20160312T120000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/Amsterdam:20160312T180000 DTSTAMP:20160331T103519Z URL:https://www.worldglaucomaweek.org/activity/enhancing-sight-enhancing-l ives/ SUMMARY:2016 Enhancing Sight\, Enhancing Lives DESCRIPTION:The 2016 “Enhancing Sight\, Enhancing Lives” Event Was Offi cially Launched with the Kick-off of the “World Glaucoma Week in Taiwan ”\n\n \;\n\nThe 2016 “Enhancing Sight\, Enhancing Lives” eye-car e campaign was officially launched\, and the 2016 “World Glaucoma Week ” unveiled at the same time! In response to the theme of this year’s g laucoma awareness week “BIG-Beat Invisible Glaucoma\,” Alcon Pharmaceu tical Ltd.\, Taiwan Branch\, the Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan\, Taiw an Glaucoma Association\, Taiwan Association for the Blind\, and Taiwan Ca re for All Association\, all participated in this international campaign t o promote the concept of “early diagnosis and early treatment” in orde r to call for the public’s attention to learn the importance of this iss ue.\n\n \n\nReduce the Impact of Blindness and Eye Diseases\n\nThe “Wor ld Glaucoma Day” was initiated in 2008 together by the World Glaucoma As sociation and the World Glaucoma Patient Association to promote glaucoma a wareness internationally. The “World Glaucoma Week” is set to be on th e second week of March for each year. The “World Glaucoma Week” for th is year is scheduled to be on the 6th to the 12th of March.\n\n \;\n\n Dr. Lin-Chung Woung\, President of The Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan stated that glaucoma is referred to as the silent thief of sight. The cond ition is usually serious when the visual problem is detected. However\, re gular visual test\, including important items such as intraocular pressure \, optic nerves\, and visual field\, are one of many preventive measures. The Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan has been teamed with Alcon Taiwan t o promote visual test since 2005. Regular eye check-up is not only the key to the prevention of glaucoma\, but also the common rule for all visual i llnesses.\n\n \;\n\nDr. Da-wen Lu\, Chairman of The Taiwan Glaucoma As sociation\, pointed out that it is difficult for one to imagine life with glaucoma without experiencing the disease. Although there are frequent med ia exposures on glaucoma\, the public is still not clear about the conditi on\; furthermore\, the signs at the early stage of glaucoma are inconspicu ous. From asymptomatic\, slight discomfort\, halo around the light bulb\, swelling and pain of the eyes\, headache and vomiting\, to severe visual i mpairment\, the patients may lose 40% of their visual field already\; espe cially that glaucoma is irreversible\, and the visual acuity can only be m aintained as is at best. Therefore\, early diagnosis and early treatment a re very crucial.\n\n \;\n\nPostmenopausal Women are at High-Risk for G laucoma\n\n \;\n\nDr. Lu stressed that “postmenopausal women” are one of the high-risk groups for glaucoma. The reduction in the secretion o f estrogen is thought to be the cause of secretion leading to women in thi s population being more than likely to have open- or closed-angle glaucoma . Dr. Lu also stated that the ratio of patients having closed-angle glauco ma is higher than that of Western society. Since the diameter of the eyeba ll for women over the age of 55 years\, with body height of less than 160 cm and having positive 1.0 to 3.0 diopters is shorter\, chances the women in this population having “closed-angle glaucoma” is increased.\n\n&nb sp\;\n\nIncreasing Number of Younger Glaucoma Patients\n\n \;\n\nOther than postmenopausal women\, the physicians also worry about the recent de creasing trend on the age of glaucoma patients. According to the statistic s from the 2014 Bureau of National Health Insurance statistics\, there are approximately 320\,000 glaucoma patients being treated in- and out-patien t clinics in Taiwan. One in every 4 glaucoma patients is non-elderly perso n between the ages of 10 to 49 years old. Dr. Lu pointed out that advances in screening technique allows early detection of glaucoma\, but using ele ctronic devices in dark environment\, high myopia\, and over-use of the ey es are rising causes of glaucoma in younger ages.\n\n \;\n\nBoth Dr. W oung and Dr. Lu emphasized that there are approximately 60 million glaucom a patients over the world\, among which\, 9 million have lost their eyesig ht. There are 320\,000 patients being treated for glaucoma in Taiwan in th e past 10 years and the number of patients has increased by 72%. Many pati ents do not realize that their visual field is damaged until the time of c onsultation. Therefore\, the risk of glaucoma can only be reduced through health education and prevention.\n\n \;\n\nGlaucoma is an important is sue in the global prevention of blindness. Everyone should take part in th e eye-care awareness through scheduled eye check-up and intraocular measur ements\, all of us can prevent this silent thief of sight\, the second lea ding cause of blindness globally next to cataract.\n\n \;\n\n \;\n \n \;\n\nWorld Glaucoma Week in Taiwan\, the public forum for “Enhan cing Sight\, Enhancing Lives” Starts on March 12\n\nIn order to call the public’s attention to understanding glaucoma and other eye diseases\, a public forum on “World Glaucoma Week in Taiwan” is being held on Satu rday afternoon\, March 12\, at New Taipei City Library Jiangzicui Branch. This is also the initiation of 2016 “Enhancing Sight\, Enhancing Lives ” event organized by Alcon Taiwan\, the Ophthalmological Society of Taiw an\, Taiwan Glaucoma Association\, Taiwan Association for the Blind\, and Taiwan Care for All Association.\n\n \;\n\nThe subject covered in the forum included glaucoma\, cataract\, and dry eye. Over 200 people attended the lively and comprehensive talk given by Dr. Da-wen Lu\, Dr. Tzu-Lun Hu ang and Dr. Chi-Chin Hsun\, learning more about eye diseases. Free IOP che cks were also provided on site so the public to stress the importance of i ntraocular pressure measurements on the prevention of glaucoma.\n\n\n\nFig ure 1. Dr. Lin-Chung Woung\, President of The Ophthalmological Society of Taiwan\, Dr. Da-wen Lu\, Chairman of The Taiwan Glaucoma Association\, and Alcon Taiwan representatives initiated the “World Glaucoma Week” in T aiwan to take on the silent thief of sight.\n\n\n\nFigure 2. Relevant news in the media on glaucoma to call people’s awareness in this disease.\n\ n\n\nFigure 3. Overwhelming number of participants at the public forum on “World Glaucoma Week”. This was also initiated the 2016 “Enhancing S ight\, Enhancing Lives” eye-care campaign.\n\n\n\nFigure 4. Free IPO che ck was given to the public\, to help to establish the good habit of having regular eye check-up. CATEGORIES:Public educational LOCATION:New Taipei City Library Jiangzicui Branch\, No. 62\, Zhuangjing Rd .\, Banqiao Dist\, Taipei\, Taiwan\, Taiwan GEO:25.0252995;121.47186050000005 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=No. 62\, Zhuangjing Rd.\, B anqiao Dist\, Taipei\, Taiwan\, Taiwan;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=New Taip ei City Library Jiangzicui Branch:geo:25.0252995,121.47186050000005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/Amsterdam X-LIC-LOCATION:Europe/Amsterdam BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20151025T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:+0200 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:CET END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR