According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the world, over 2 billion people have vision problems, but most eye diseases can be prevented and treated if detected and addressed in time. Therefore, initiatives on information, prevention and treatment of pathologies affecting the eyes, such as the digital project, take on particular importance # SaveTheViewYesCan from Bayer to support those affected by maculopathies. Age-related macular degeneration (DMLE) is the leading cause of vision loss in industrialized countries globally. In Italy it is estimated that about one million people (between diagnosed and not) affects about 50,000 new cases a year.
On the occasion of World Sight Day, promoted by WHO and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (Iapb), which is celebrated on October 14, the Bayer project – announces a note – is enriched with a new tool for patients: ‘My Injection Diary‘, a personal agenda on which to write down medical visits and intravitreal injections’. In this regard, Bayer recalls how the treatment of maculopathies has significantly improved in recent years, with the introduction of anti-Vegf drugs (administered via intravitreal injections), which have proven effective in stabilizing or improving visual acuity, as well as the quality of life of patients. These therapies – it is emphasized – provide treatment regimens that may differ depending on the drug used and which require a well-defined periodicity.
So, a fundamental element for the success of the therapy lies in the patient’s adherence to the treatment, and therefore it is essential to involve the patient himself in his own treatment path and his knowledge of the tools necessary to deal with it.
‘My Injection Diary’ is not only a space where you can record your scheduled eye examinations, so as not to forget your appointments, but also a support on which to report information and comments to report to your doctor in anticipation of a future visit. It will also be possible to consult the list of documents and information to share with the specialist and the questions to ask the medical staff before undergoing the injections, to face visits and checks with greater serenity. Answers to the most frequently asked questions and useful tips to follow after carrying out the procedure are also available. With a view to sensitizing the patient to a self-control of the course of the pathology, through ‘My Injection Diary’, it will be possible to check one’s symptoms between one injection and the next with the Amsler grid, a very simple tool of diagnostics that helps detect any initial symptoms of retinal disease.
Launched in March 2020, the digital project # SalvareLaVistaSiPuò has proven to be an important point of reference for those suffering from this pathology, reaching – informs the note – about one million users, 22,150 of whom have become active followers on Facebook, where 400 interact daily with the page. Over 2,800 patients and caregivers then, thanks to personalized content and services, embarked on the path of awareness of maculopathy provided by the platform.
“The web solutions applied to communication in the healthcare sector have greatly favored the dissemination of information and knowledge, improving patient empowerment and making the patient’s relationship with the medical-scientific community more fluid and dynamic – says Patrizia Guarraci, Head of Business Unit Specialty of Bayer Italia -. Every therapeutic solution, even the most innovative, loses its effectiveness if it is not followed scrupulously. For this reason Bayer has always shown particular attention and sensitivity in promoting therapeutic adherence, addressing patients in a simple and appropriate way, using methods and tools that technological evolution gradually makes available “, he concludes.