Earlier this year, sisters Clare and Jean attended Glaucoma NZ’s Love Your Eyes Symposium. There they showed interest in a new Glaucoma group for Tauranga. A few months later they agreed to assist two others in setting up The Tauranga Glaucoma Support Group.
Clare has glaucoma but Jean doesn’t. In fact, nobody in their family has glaucoma, except Clare. She was diagnosed when she was just 22 years old.
“My parents didn’t have it. My cousins and so on don’t have it” says Clare. “My mother was adopted as a baby, so there could have been something in that background, but I don’t know that family history” she adds.
Because of Clare’s glaucoma diagnosis, her sister Jean has regular eye health checks and so does Clare’s daughter. “It made us aware of the risks and the need for regular checks” says Clare.
A trabeculectomy in each eye stabilised her glaucoma back then. She’s only recently needed glaucoma drops over 50 years later. “I had cataracts on both eyes, which have been operated on, and that affected the pressures”.
Like Clare, Jean is a member of Glaucoma NZ, staying up to date with the latest developments and updates on glaucoma. They are both happy to be helping with Tauranga’s new Glaucoma Group. “At the first meeting we had, there were some there who’d been recently diagnosed. And you know, it’s quite a shock” says Clare.
“It’s always good to have a support group where you can talk to other people about it … you know you’re not on your own” Clare adds.
The November 2025 meeting for the Tauranga Glaucoma Group is 10.00am on Saturday 23 November 2024 at the Parewaitai Village Community Centre, 718 Grenada Street, Papamoa Beach.
Clare confirms that the following meeting will likely be in February 2025 at the Greerton Library. They will alternate between locations so that the group is accessible for people living in different parts of Tauranga.
Did you know that you have access to 14 groups? They’re located (North to South) in Warkworth, the North Shore, Auckland, Tauranga, Hamilton, Taupō, New Plymouth, Napier, Palmerston North, Paraparaumu, Wellington, Christchurch, Timaru and Invercargill. With your support more groups are coming together around the country. Find your local group at glaucoma.org.nz. If you would like to set up a new group in your area contact Jenna at info@glaucoma.org.nz or 0800 452 826.