The charity’s annual ‘Excellence in Glaucoma Care Awards’ provide an opportunity for glaucoma patients and other individuals to nominate an exceptional person or team from any field of glaucoma care in recognition of their outstanding contribution to care. The nominations are then judged by a group of Glaucoma UK trustees and the honour is awarded at the charity’s Annual General Meeting.
Glaucoma UK is delighted to announce the winner of this year’s Excellence in Glaucoma Care Award, Dr Sancy Low, Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. Dr Sancy Low was nominated for the award by her patient, Ms Katy Styles, in recognition of the outstanding care and support she has received.
Ms Styles has a secondary form of glaucoma and has been a patient of Dr Low since 2019. In her nomination form, she said, “Dr Sancy is that rare consultant who takes time to understand you as an individual. She takes time to see what makes you tick, what your life is like and what you need and then she moves Heaven and Earth to make sure you get the treatment you deserve to manage your glaucoma.”
Ms Styles is a full-time carer for her husband, so her main concern was receiving glaucoma treatment while looking after her husband. She was referred to Dr Low when she had questions about her treatment and was unsure of the impact of glaucoma in her daily life.
“Dr Sancy provides this level of care to every single one of her patients. She is the consultant surgeon that all consultant surgeons should aspire to be. She has saved my sight and countless others’ sight too. It would be fantastic to see Ms Low’s contribution to glaucoma care recognised more widely both within her own trust but amongst her peers and patients as well,” she said.
Dr Low’s response to Ms Styles’ statement was “Wow, I'm really touched by that statement and I'm particularly honoured by this recognition and the peers and the trustees for ranking it as a really important way that consultants have to be. So, let's cure glaucoma, but one eye and one patient at a time.”
Glaucoma UK’s Chief Executive, Joanne Creighton, said, “Glaucoma UK is thrilled to grant the Excellence in Glaucoma Care Award to Dr Sancy Low who has done a phenomenal job in caring for glaucoma patients. The charity is incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to submit their nomination for the awards. It is heart-warming to see the increased number of nominations each year for teams and individuals working hard to improve care for glaucoma patients.”
The charity has confirmed that nominations for its 2024 awards are now open and is welcoming nominations for an individual or team from any field of glaucoma care. Find out more on the Glaucoma UK website at glaucoma.uk/glaucoma-care-awards.
