The maculopathy they are eye diseases that have a huge impact on the quality of life of patients and their families. These are eye diseases that affect the area located in the center of the retina, or the macula. The most common are age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema, which mainly affect people over 50, the most representative age group of the Italian population with a full social and often working life.
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Maculopathies: the Roche Italia campaign is starting
The symptoms of maculopathies can appear after a long time, sometimes when the disease is in an advanced stage. This is why prevention and early diagnosis are essential, as is information. For these reasons, Roche Italia has launched the campaign “Your point of view matters – Don’t let maculopathy stop you”under the patronage of the Association of Eye Disease Patients (APMO), Macula Committee, Retina Italia ODV and the Italian Society of Ophthalmological Sciences (SISO).
Free vision screenings
In addition to moments of information through press conferences, will be carried out free vision screenings on the national territory, making stops in various Italian cities such as Milan, Rome, Genoa. During the dedicated days, first-level eye examinations, carried out by a specialist, will include a precise scan of the retina using optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Sensitize the population
The main treatment for maculopathies involves the use of VEGF inhibitors (vascular endothelial growth factor), a protein that stimulates the growth of new blood vessels. In most patients, VEGF inhibitors, administered via intravitreal injections, can improve vision if diagnosed early and treated promptly and if performed in regular cycles over time. Hence the importance of providing information to encourage controls among people at risk.
Despite the spread of maculopathies, there is still little information and little awareness today. Prevention should arise from the knowledge of when and how to carry out an ophthalmological check-up, what it means to live with these pathologies, what the patient’s and caregiver’s needs are. There is a lack of information on therapeutic pathways and on the fact that the loss of autonomy, due to the reduction of capacity
vision, is a real problem that often prevents these patients from taking care of themselves, he comments Try itPresident of Retina Italia OdV.