Eye drops message for Ramadan

Ramadan begins on Monday 12 April and Glaucoma UK is urging Muslims with glaucoma to continue using eye drops during this month-long period of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

Glaucoma UK, in partnership with the Muslim Council of Britain, is urging Muslims with glaucoma to prevent irreversible damage to their sight by continuing to use their eye drops during Ramadan.

Muslims will fast between dawn and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan, which will run from 12 April to 12 May 2021. An estimated 50,000 Muslims in the UK have glaucoma. A Study by St Paul’s Eye Unit in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital has shown that almost half (45.5 per cent) believed that using eye drops during Ramadan may break the fast, especially when the excess drop drained down the back of the throat and could be tasted.

Joanna Bradley, head of support services at Glaucoma UK, said: “As eye drops are not considered food or drink by Sunni or Shia’s schools, they don’t break your fast. It is vital that Muslim patients keep using their eye drops to treat their glaucoma during Ramadan, as stopping even for a short period could cause irreversible damage to their sight. Our message is for Muslim patients to make eye drops part of their Ramadan routine: wake, drops, eat, pray, done.”

Glaucoma UK is sharing tips on what people who are fasting can do, should they need extra reassurance. The first is for individuals to block their tear duct by pressing on the corner of their eye next to their nose immediately after putting in their eye drops. This stops the drops from reaching the back of the throat and keeps them in the eye where they need to be. The second is for those who are fasting to put in their drops before suhoor and after iftar.

To emphasise the importance of using glaucoma eye drops during Ramadan, the charity has produced a short film in partnership with the Muslim Council of Britain. The film features religious leaders, patients and eye health care professionals, and includes hints and tips to help patients who are fasting to remember their eye drops during Ramadan.

Glaucoma UK has also produced a poster highlighting the importance of using eye drops during Ramadan, which is available to download on their website.

The charity is urging eye health care professionals to circulate it widely in order to reach more patients who will be fasting during Ramadan.