Specsavers’ teams up-skill awareness in glaucoma - the silent thief of sight

In this up-skilling the week, build Specsavers to up better to World support teams Glaucoma patients have Week been with the condition. Often symptomless in its early stages, glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible sight loss. It is thought to affect 700,000 people in the UK today, but as many as 50% of cases are undiagnosed*. In conjunction with the International Glaucoma Association, Specsavers has developed training for its retail teams to assist sufferers with their treatment. Specifically, they will be advising on how to effectively administer eye drops, which are crucial for managing the condition. This new training complements the skills held by Specsavers’ optometrists, who have collectively completed almost 5,000 postgraduate glaucoma accreditations since 2017, through a variety of accrediting bodies including Cardiff University and the College of Optometrists. Alan Murphy was just 37 when a trip to Specsavers found the early stages of glaucoma. Thanks to early detection, his condition managed eye drops by is daily. now using Alan, now an advocate of regular eye tests and good eye health, believes early diagnosis and careful management has saved his sight. He says: ‘I would strongly urge people to go for regular eye tests, and to make the most of the advice and support provided by their local optician.’ Karen Osborn, chief executive of IGA, says: ‘The majority of people who are diagnosed early with glaucoma will retain useful sight for life. Most will be treated with medical eye drops. Unfortunately we know from calls to our helpline that many people aren’t told about how to put the drop in the eye correctly, or aren’t advised about the aids that are available to help them. We are delighted to work with Specsavers on this often overlooked aspect of glaucoma management.’