Press Release: 4 July 2010
Scotland's leading sight loss charity is to stress the vital importance of regular eye check-ups at today's high-profile Hungama festival in Glasgow.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People Scotland will be staffing an awareness-raising stall to highlight that people from some ethnic minority backgrounds are more vulnerable to sight-threatening conditions.
Some forms of glaucoma are three times more prevalent among people of Afro-Caribbean and Chinese descent and often more severe, for example. Diabetic retinopathy is now the leading cause of blindness among all Scots of working-age. But people of South Asian origin are six times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes than Caucasians. It is more common in individuals of Pakistani, Indian or Bangladeshi descent who make up a sizable minority in Glasgow and often affects young to middle-aged people.
Someone with diabetes has a 10 to 20 times greater chance of being registered blind. However, early diagnosis and treatment can prevent up to 98 per cent of severe sight loss and the earlier the treatment the more likely it is to be effective.
Yet many of those groups most at risk of sight loss are least likely to access eye-care services. The diseases can appear up to 15 years earlier and are often more aggressive, leaving people with significant sight loss earlier in life.
RNIB Scotland is running a project in Glasgow to target the city's ethnic minority communities with the eye-health message. Launched in 2008, the project has examined what real and perceived barriers are preventing uptake of eye-care services. It is being piloted in Glasgow because the city's ethnic minority population is three times the national average.
Project development officer Gozie Joe Adigwe said: "As well as informing people how to make the right health choices, the project has explored the best way to communicate with different ethnic groups. Working in partnership has been a vital component, sharing good practice and maintaining ownership of the project's direction and outcomes."
Pawan Sood (53), a businessman from Bearsden, knows only too well the importance of getting your eyes checked regularly. Both his parents had glaucoma but he paid less attention to the risks of inheriting it than other members of his family.
"As a result, I'm afraid, I ended up not going to an optician often enough," he says, "despite experiencing headaches at the side of my head, which I now know were caused by pressure behind my eye - one of the symptoms of glaucoma. Luckily, my optician spotted this and referred me on for treatment. I do have quite a bit of optic-nerve loss but they've been able to reduce the pressure quite dramatically. Hopefully, this will prevent any more damage.
"It gave me a fright and has brought home to me the importance of the work Gozie is doing. I was lucky. I was treated in time."
Sikander Sidiki, consultant ophthalmologist at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital, said: "In the UK, the main method of eye-disease detection is by high street opticians. But many people from ethnic minority backgrounds - particularly immigrants or first generation individuals - may not appreciate this. Many prefer to see their GP or an ophthalmologist, which may result in delay or inappropriate referral. In addition, language may also be a barrier as an interpreter service is less likely to be accessible at an optician."
Last month, RNIB Scotland published a report that warned the total number of Scots with sight loss could double to almost 400,000 between now and 2030. The charity has estimated the total cost to the public sector to be £194m a year. But this cost will increase significantly because the elderly population is set to rise by 62 per cent over the next two decades. Already up to one in six out-patient appointments at some Scottish hospitals are for eye-care.