|
World Sight Day 2009
World Sight Day is an annual day of awareness held on the second Thursday of October - this years is the 8th October, to focus global attention on blindness and vision impairment. Some key facts about visual impairment, sight loss and blindness.
- Approximately 314 million people worldwide live with low vision and blindness. Of these 45 million are blind and 269 million have low vision.
- 80% of blindness is avoidable - i.e. readily treatable and/or preventable. Restorations of sight, and blindness prevention strategies are among the most cost-effective interventions in health care
- Ageing populations and lifestyle changes mean that chronic blinding conditions such as diabetic retinopathy are projected to rise exponentially. Without effective, major intervention, the number of blind people worldwide has been projected to increase to 76 million by 2020.
To raise awareness of eye health globally the World Sight Day is held annually to highlight the issues of visual impairment and the treatments and measures and vision aids that can help.
Daily Mail article about Lipshitz Macular Implant (LMI) operation
BBC Radio 4 Case Notes - Investigates latest information on the lens of the eye
A New Treatment for Dry AMD
The IOL-Vip System (Intra-Ocular Lens for Visually Impaired People)
The IOL-Vip system has been developed to provide patients with macular disease an improvement of their central vision. In this exciting new procedure, two small lenses are inserted into the eye. Together these lenses act like a telescope, slightly magnifying the image and diverting it to a healthier part of the retina. This healthy retina takes over the role of the macula and can give the AMD patient significantly improved vision.
The potential improvement in vision can be tested using a special simulator. The simulator demonstrates the effect of the IOL-Vip system so patients can experience the possible improvement before the operation. Patients are helped to learn to use the new image with the help of some simple exercises.
The procedure takes about 30 minutes and there is no need for an overnight stay in hospital.
The IOL-Vip system can help patients with “dry” and established “wet” forms of AMD and also patients with other forms of macular disease including macular holes, myopic degeneration and hereditary retinal diseases e.g. Stargardt’s, Best’s.
A significantly larger viewing area is one the key design features of the new improved illuminated hand magnifier from Coil which incorporates the latest LED technology. Providing a uniform spread of light across the entire lens, the lightweight magnifier is comfortable to hold for longer periods and switches on simply by the touch of holding it. When it is put down it automatically switches off – no wasted batteries. This ease of use makes it ideal for people with poor dexterity. Available in 3x, 5x and 7x magnification it has an easy access press release system to change the batteries and is supplied with a soft pouch for protection when not in use.
New Products now available
- easyPocket - Illuminated Credit Card size magnifier from Eschenbach available in 3 and 4x magnification, a very handy device when out and about. Click for more information.
- Makrolux Illuminated Dome Magnifier - now available with a higher magnification of 3.5x - provides LED illumination to aid contrast and is large enough to enable a whole newspaper column to be read. Find out more.
- Visualeyes Horizon - This new electronic magnifier provides a larger 19 inch screen and a wide magnification range. Find out more.
Lucentis AMD treatment licensed for use by the NHS
Lucentis, the drug for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was licensed on 27th August 2008 by NICE , the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for use with patients wherever they live in the UK
. Lucentis can be an option for treatment provided all the following apply in the eye being treated:
· Best possible visual acuity after correction with glasses or contact lenses is between 6/12 and 6/96.
· There is no permanent structural damage to the central fovea (the part of the eye that helps people to see things in sharp detail).
· The lesion size is no more than 12 times the size of the area inside the eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina.
· There are signs that the condition has been getting worse.
· The cost of Lucentis beyond 14 injections is met by the manufacturer. The NHS should cover the drug cost of Lucentis for the first 14 injections in each eye being treated. If people need more than 14 injections per eye, the manufacturer of Lucentis has agreed to take over the drug cost from the NHS.
· Treatment should be stopped if a person's vision gets worse and there are changes inside the eye which show that treatment isn’t working.
AMD is one of the leading causes of sight loss. AMD occurs in two forms, dry and wet (neovascular) AMD. Dry AMD is a form of extensive atrophy (wasting) of cells that progresses slowly, whereas the wet form can lead to rapid worsening of vision. There are about 26,000 new cases of wet AMD in the each year and the condition usually affects people who are over 50 years old, the risk increasing significantly with age. The condition also affects more women than men. The most commonly cited risk factor for AMD is cigarette smoking; the risk of developing AMD is more than 3 times greater for current and former smokers than for people who have never smoked.
Lucentis works by being injected into the affected eye and blocking a substance that causes new blood vessels to grow in the eye which then stops the bleeding in the back of the eye that causes wet AMD.
Andrew Dillon the chief executive of NICE said “”Lucentis is an expensive drug, costing more than £10,000 for each eye treated. But that cost needs to be balanced against the likely cost savings. AMD results in reduced quality of life and increased risks of illness, particularly in relation to accidents – especially falls – and psychological ill-health. Studies have also demonstrated that patients with visual impairment tend to have longer hospitalisations, make greater use of health and community care services and are more likely to be admitted to nursing homes. Our guidance means that patients who are suitable for this treatment will have the same access to it, irrespective of where they live.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Magnifiers and Vision Aids Catalogue
The comprehensive range of magnifiers and low vision aids from Vision Enhancers can now be seen in the new full-colour printed catalogue just available. If you would like to look through clear information and colour pictures on all our products in a printed version to help in choosing your magnfier or low vision aid then please click on the link below. This will take you to our 'contact us' page where you can email your name and address and request to order a catalogue. Alternatively you can telephone your request to 01794 388468.
|
Click here to download our 2009 catalogue
Visually Impaired? Customise this site to meet your vision needs
