WORLD GLAUCOMA WEEK 2015 IN MONTENEGRO

World Glaucoma Week (WGW) is a joint global initiative of the World Glaucoma Association (WGA) and the World Glaucoma Patients Association (WGPA), whose aim is to raise awareness of glaucoma, its influence on sight, as well as of the possibilities of its early detection and preventing blindness caused by glaucoma.
Traditionally, this initiative is undertaken during the second week of March every year, and includes various activities in many countries across the world, such as screening events, lectures about glaucoma, texts on glaucoma in newspapers, participation in radio and TV shows.
With the support of pharmaceutical company MSD, Montenegrin Society of Ophthalmology and several ophthalmologists from Montenegro, this initiative has successfully been launched in our country as well. First of all, a small brochure “Glaukom – tihi kradljivac vida” (“Glaucoma – a silent thief of sight”), as a manual to patients, has been published. The author of the brochure is Danijela Đurović-Raonić, MD,MS in Medicine, employed at the Clinic for Eye Diseases of the Clinical Center of Montenegro, Podgorica. This brochure was distributed during a series of screening events or intraocular pressure measurement, which were organised in many towns in Montenegro.
Five such events took place in Podgorica – four in the local clubs for the retired (Blok V and VI, Masline, Jedinstvo and Stari Aerodrom) and one at headquarters of the telecommunication operator M-tel. The organiser of the activities in Podgorica was Dr Edita Files Bradarić. The measuring was done by manual applanation tonometer, which, for this occasion, was lent by Dr Sanja Borović, employed at the Ophthalmology Private Practice “Borović”. 129 patients in total were examined (approximately 25 per location). It was determined that 14 patients (11,6%) had higher intraocular pressure and glaucoma suspect. They were given detailed instructions for diagnosis and confirmation of glaucoma disease.
Other screening events were undertaken at Ophthalmology Private Practices:
• Bar – Ophthalmology Private Practice “Dr Marina”, Dr Marina Đuretić
• Budva – Center for Ophthalmology diseases “Miljković & Jankov”, Dr Borka Miljković, MSc in Medicine
• Biljelo Polje – Ophthalmology Private Practice “Medikal Optik”, Dr Heda Idrizović
The significance of these activities, as well as glaucoma, was written about in newspapers Vijesti and Dan, as well as on the Web portals CDM and M-tel. Montenegrin Society of Ophthalmology would like to thank all the participants of this initiative, and especially our patients for having time for an examination and showing a great interest in this disease.
Next year, in 2016, World Glaucoma Week will be held from 6th to 12th March.