With the intention to spread knowledge about glaucoma, an eye trouble, which is the second leading cause of blindness all over the world and is likely to go up as the people age.

Eye care specialists are observing World Glaucoma Week until March 13

Mr. B. Sridhar Rao, president of the Glaucoma Society of India, a nongovernmental organization, which aims to aware people regarding the illness, 12 million Indians suffer from the disease.

Rao stated, "Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Glaucoma currently affects approximately 12 million people in India and 65 million people worldwide - numbers that can be expected to increase as the population ages."

"Unfortunately, many people with glaucoma are unaware that they have it until there is a large amount of irreversible vision loss," Mr. Rao added.

Glaucoma is often dubbed the "sneak thief of sight" as the vision loss generally occurs step by step over a long period of time and is often only recognized when the disease reaches on an advance stage.

Glaucoma week, being observed since March 7, targets to make individuals aware of the disease and stresses the importance of regular eye check ups. (With Input from Agencies)