Anderson Knight played a major role in establishing and growing the Glaucoma Foundation of Australia (now Glaucoma Australia ) by providing public relations and marketing communication services on a pro bono basis for several years.
Glaucoma Australia was founded by a small group of eye specialists and people affected by the eye disease glaucoma to raise awareness that adult Australians should have a regular test for glaucoma.
The most common form of glaucoma is generally painless and the loss of sight is very gradual so a person with glaucoma is often completely unaware of having any problems with their eyes. If detected early, loss of vision can generally be prevented by medication. Unfortunately, many people do not discover they have glaucoma until they have lost a significant part of their sight.
Anderson Knight prepared materials for the media and introduced a very successful National Glaucoma Day as a vehicle for gaining widespread media coverage for glaucoma awareness. A letter supporting this initiative was obtained from the Prime Minister. Messages based on themes such as “Stop it or you’ll go blind!” gained exposure in all types of media including: national and local TV and radio, national, metropolitan, regional and local newspapers; and magazines and special interest publications.
Other communication projects included: the production and launch of a booklet produced by Glaucoma Australia and published and distributed by the NRMA; working with the Chinese community in Sydney to produce a Handbook on Glaucoma in Chinese; and conducting a research activity that received an astonishing 56% response from the 6,000 questionnaires mailed to people with glaucoma.