Introduction

Glaucoma is a major cause of irreversible blindness both locally and worldwide. Its importance would increase with an aging population. Glaucoma Patient Support Group will be set up as a non-profit, self-help group to serve patients with glaucoma and their families. The support group will educate the patients and their families on the disease, assist the patients to cope and manage their conditions in order to improve their quality of life. We hope to achieve an overall more holistic approach to the management of glaucoma.

Objectives

• To educate glaucoma patients and their families on the disease, general principles of medical and surgical management.
• To teach glaucoma patients and their family members eyedrop instillation technique.
• To raise the awareness of glaucoma in family members and encourage them to come forward for screening.
• To serve a platform for communication between the medical and paramedical staff staff (doctors, nurses, visual field technicians, pharmacists) and glaucoma patients and their families.
• Provide information and guidance in job placement.
• Provide advice and aid in coping with low vision as a result of glaucoma
• Fellowship between glaucoma patients.

Programme

The objectives of the Glaucoma Patient Support Group will be achieved through:

• Regular support group meeting with talks on glaucoma. There will be time for fellowship and sharing. The group will be broken into smaller groups and guided by nurse councilor or doctor. A friendly and informal environment would encourage glaucoma patients to share their experience and it also serve as platform for teaching the patients and their caretaker eye drop instillation techniques.
• Dissemination of information on glaucoma for the public in the form of VCD, pamphlets and books. The VCDs and books in both English and Mandarin are ready and the pamphlets will be ready in the near future.

Organization and Membership

The Glaucoma Patient Support Group will be established as an informal group within the Singapore National Eye Centre. The long term goal will be for the group to become an independent affiliate of SNEC, possibly a Singapore Glaucoma Patient Association.

Membership will be free to glaucoma patients treated at SNEC and their families. Glaucoma department will oversee the organization of activities with the help from public relations and other relevant administrative departments such as Corporate Communications and Quality Service. Nurses, visual field technicians and pharmacists and any other staff who are keen are encouraged to participate in the running of the group’s activities.

For more information about the Glaucoma Patient Support Group, please email info@snec.com.sg.