Bono, the lead singer of Irish rock band U2, put glaucoma in the global spotlight this month when he revealed he was diagnosed with the eye disease 20 years ago and manages it by wearing sunglasses and using eye drops.
Now a dedicated group of volunteers from the Blue Mountains branch of Glaucoma Australia are shining the light on the disease by presenting the Blue Mountains Save Sight charity concert at Leura's Fairmont Resort on Sunday, November 16 to raise money for research projects and awareness of the importance of early detection for the best chance of effective treatment.
Starting at 11.30am, the concert will star award-winning soprano Shu-Cheen Yu who is currently appearing in the Australian production of the musical The King and I and one of this country's top tap dancing groups The Tap Pack.
There will also be a silent auction, raffle and exhibition commencing before the show at 10.30am - with artwork prizes donated by Blackheath painter and local Glaucoma Australia branch committee member Maja Meinhardt.
Another feature of the event will be a talk by a leading Sydney eye specialist and there will be representatives from Glaucoma Australia present to share information and advice.
Glaucoma is a progressive disease where the optic nerve at the back of the eye slowly gets destroyed, but symptoms - usually loss of side vision - tend not to be noticeable until the disease's latter stages.
According to Glaucoma Australia, about 50 per cent of people with glaucoma in Australia are undiagnosed and the disease is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide.
If a close relative has glaucoma, there is an eight-fold chance of a person developing it.
While treatment after early detection can't reverse vision lost, it can arrest or at least slow down eye damage to a manageable level.
Local committee president and Leura resident Rhonda Denovan stressed the importance of early detection, especially if a member of the immediate family has or had glaucoma.
"Glaucoma can develop in people as young as 40 and you can often not know you have it until it is too late and you lose your vision," she said.
"My mother, Edna was only diagnosed when she lost her side vision in her late 60s and was blind when she died and a close friend of mine became blind due to lack of early detection.
"About 15 years ago I went to a specialist and he said I will assess you now (because of the family history of the disease) and I was diagnosed with early stage glaucoma, even though I showed no symptoms.
"Since then I've used eye drops to manage it and stop it from getting worse."
All proceeds from the charity concert will go to Glaucoma Australia and tickets can be purchased with or without a morning tea or a buffet lunch.
For more information call 9906 6640 or visit glaucoma.org.au/bmconcert.htm.
