Members of the public are invited to the St. Kitts Basseterre Lions Club’s March of Witness, which is being held this Saturday in honour of World Glaucoma Day 2010. World Glaucoma Day 2010 falls on Friday, March 12th.. Details of March: The March will be dubbed Caribbean Marches for Sight. That’s because Lions Clubs throughout the Caribbean will hold concurrent marches to raise awareness and funds for eye conditions, particularly glaucoma. Date of March: Saturday, March 13th Start Time of March: 4:00p.m. Starting Venue of March: The Cenotaph at Fortlands Route of March: From the Cenotaph on to Fort Street via the Bay Road. Along Cayon Street then on to Sandown Road, the Bay Road and Bank Street, stopping at Independence Square. Proceeds are in aid of the Caribbean Optometrists Association’s Haitian Relief Fund. Marchers and spectators are encouraged to place their donations inside collection tins being carried By Lions Club members. Members of the St. Kitts Basseterre Lions Club will be wearing their signature gold jacket with the Lions International insignia on the left breast. Come to march and support a worthy cause! Make it a family affair! Glaucoma Statistics You Probably Are Not Aware Of: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, according to the World Health Organization Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness among African-Americans Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African-Americans than Caucasians African-Americans ages 45-65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from glaucoma than Caucasians with glaucoma in the same age group Other high-risk groups include: people over 60, family members of those already diagnosed, diabetics, and people who are severely nearsighted Estimates put the total number of suspected cases of glaucoma at around 65 million worldwide
