Post by Neeru Vallabh

Reflecting on attending the Glaucoma UK Annual Lectures in London today, which felt particularly timely during World Glaucoma Week. It was great to see the work being showcased from across the UK, including Abigail Christie presenting on behalf of the Liverpool team- Lucy A Bosworth, Carl Sheridan. It’s always encouraging to be able to share with patients the research, meet the researchers and to hear what colleagues around the country are doing. One of the most interesting aspects for me was hearing the discussions among people living with glaucoma. As clinicians we often have one to one conversations with patients, but listening to patients have a discussion with each other highlighted some shared concerns, particularly around being seen in glaucoma virtual clinics. While these services help us manage the growing number of patients and provide care more efficiently, it was valuable to hear directly about the worries and uncertainties patients can feel in this setting. Particularly as some never have face to face consults with clinicians anymore and there is no standard approach for virtual- face to face appt ratios in the UK. It was also a pleasure to hear Professor Ted Garway-Heath provide an update on current glaucoma research, and to attend the keynote lecture from Professor Anthony King on quality of life in glaucoma, an area that is so important alongside clinical outcomes. Finally, it was wonderful to see my teacher and mentor Professor Cecilia Fenerty take on the role of Chair of Glaucoma UK. Events like this are a great reminder of the importance of collaboration between clinicians, researchers and patients as we continue to improve glaucoma care. Colin Chu, Giovanni Ometto, Kuang Hu #WGW2026 #glaucoma #patientcare #research #innovation