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World Glaucoma Week takes over Social Media
On behalf of the WGW committee, George N. Lambrou
This year saw the fifth observance of the annual Glaucoma Awareness event, now well established as World Glaucoma Week. Again, thousands of volunteers around the world rallied enthusiastically to the cause of preventing avoidable vision loss by the "burglar on the prowl, that's just around the cornea" (meet him on www.wgweek.net) Like in previous years, the WGW committee kept climbing the learning curve, building on experience and expanding successful initiatives. The annual rallying banner concept was repeated, this time around a slogan that you, the world's glaucomatologists selected at last year's WGC: "Don't let Glaucoma Darken your Life", was your undisputed favorite, so the curtain logo now adorns the website and many posters deployed all over the world.
Another key novelty was the rap video-clip by African artist Yvonne Nelson for which the WGA and WGPA are extremely grateful to the Yvonne Nelson Foundation. You can enjoy it on a redesigned website, where you will also find the regular WGW newsletters, translated into French, Spanish and Arabic (another novelty) for enhanced impact in non-English speaking parts of the world.
But, without any doubt, the most remarkable aspect of the 2012 Week is the adoption of the Social Media Space by WGW followers. In the days leading to the Week, the number of "likes" rose steadily to exceed 400, almost matching the 560-plus registered activities around the world. Visit www.facebook.com/WGWeek: this is a space to follow and further develop - you can count on us to work on it, and we will count on you to expand it!
So year after year the concept evolves. And yet, behind the changes, we are always overcome with awe and respect by the one thing that remains constant: The warmth and enthusiasm with which the WGW has been embraced by glaucomatologists and patients around the world, across cultural and linguistic barriers. Looking to next year's WGWeek (March 10-16), let us all start thinking how we can contribute to further raising glaucoma awareness, for the highest benefit of our patients.
On behalf of the WGW committee, George N. Lambrou
