WHAT IS GLAUCOMA ?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that cause progressive damage of the optic nerve. If left untreated, most types of glaucoma progress towards a gradual worsening of eyesight that may lead to total blindness, without warning or early symptoms to the patient. Once incurred, visual damage is irreversible, and this has led to glaucoma being described as the “silent blinding disease” or the “sneak thief of sight”.
Normal view
Glaucoma view
Glaucoma affects more than 60.5 million people worldwide aged 40 and older. After cataract, glaucoma is the 2nd leading cause of blindness. Current estimates indicate that only 34% of the developed and 9% of the underdeveloped world are tested for Glaucoma sufficiently to detect onset before visual damage occurs. It is expected that greater awareness, with earlier testing and cost-effective devices will better control the disease progression.
For those patients who are fortunate to have been screened and followed by an ophthalmologist, the problems and issues may continue. These patients typically move onto medicated eye-drops, where expense is an issue, and treatment is typically required for the rest of patient’s lives.
Drugs are not always effective, and can have side effects. If eye-drops are not working to lower and control IOP, a treatment change is typically recommended. Sometimes additional IOP lowering medications are recommended.
When maximum medications are not working, surgical options – more or less invasive – are employed. They can cost up to USD 5’000.00 per procedure and have complication rates up to 57% according to a completed 3-year comparative study. [1]
Prevention of glaucoma is therefore a key factor contributing to the patient health. Prevention also contributes to lower the medical cost of this disease.
[1] www.ophthalmologymanagement.com
THE UNMET NEED
Leading glaucoma experts often speak out about the need to know more about IOP fluctuations to better diagnose and understand each of their patient’s condition.
Doctors want to Know your Curve.
Tissot Medical Research proposes the additional, never before available, continuous IOP information. Our product can help reduce unnecessary costs and risks associated with glaucoma progression and bring more personalized treatment decisions.
TAKEAWAY FACTS ABOUT GLAUCOMA
• It is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. [2]
• 60-80 million people suffer from glaucoma and 40-80% are undiagnosed and untreated.
• Glaucoma must be monitored for life.
• The best way to protect your sight from glaucoma is to get tested.
• Blindness is ranked third people’s worst fear, behind Cancer and heart disease.
[2] www.glaucoma.org
“No one likes extra visits to the doctor, but we don’t want to rely on only one pressure reading before treatment begins to determine the treatment goal for the next 15 years”.
“Eye pressure fluctuates… and fluctuates even more with glaucoma patients. We must take IOP fluctuation very seriously”.
“Recent research has shown it is bad to have pressure that is varying a lot… swings in pressure could have bad effects on the stress generated in the eye wall. Ganglion cells are damaged by prolonged eye wall stress and this is the cause of the damage to your vision in glaucoma”.