MONTREAL, Oct. 13,
2022 /CNW/ - AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and Fighting
Blindness Canada have launched the Glaucoma in Perspective (GiP)
app to help Canadians understand the impact of glaucoma and manage
disease progression. The launch of GiP coincides with World Sight
Day, as the vision loss community comes together to raise awareness
and understanding of eye diseases like glaucoma.
GiP was developed based on research and insights into patients'
perception of sight loss with glaucoma. The app provides users with
guidance on treatment regimen and includes a series of interactive
demonstrations to encourage at-risk individuals to seek early
intervention from a healthcare professional by allowing them to
experience the impact of glaucoma on everyday situations. It also
provides information on available treatment options to support
glaucoma management.
The GiP app is now available at the Apple Store and Google Play
for free download.
"Fighting Blindness Canada is proud to support the launch of
Glaucoma in Perspective in Canada.
It's an exciting opportunity to launch a new and innovative digital
tool that can be easily accessible and help Canadians stay
empowered in managing this disease," says Doug Earle, President and CEO of Fighting
Blindness Canada. "We are hopeful that the Glaucoma in Perspective
app will help both patients and caregivers in understanding the
complexities of glaucoma and provide valuable information to
support the patient journey."
Glaucoma affects more than 728,000 Canadians and takes the form
of several related disease types, the most common being open angle
glaucoma.1 Glaucoma is characterized by a build-up of
aqueous humour fluid and increased intraocular pressure (IOP) that
damages the optic nerve.2 There is no cure for glaucoma,
but early detection and treatment can help prevent damage to the
optic nerve, and as a result, save vision.3
"Glaucoma is often known as the silent thief of sight and can
often go undetected if there are no early symptoms. The goal of
Glaucoma in Perspective is to provide a user-friendly experience
for patients and caregivers to enhance their knowledge and
understanding of glaucoma to better support their needs," says
Professor David Crabb, GiP app
developer and Professor of Statistics and Vision Research, City,
University of London. "My hope is
that Canadians will now have access to a digital tool that will
help them take more control of their glaucoma and aid them in
understanding the condition."
In a national survey of 150 respondents with glaucoma, 69% of
respondents didn't know what type of glaucoma they have. 65% of
respondents relied on their doctor's office for new resources and
information to support their glaucoma knowledge while 39% search
online.4
"At AbbVie, we continue to explore new and improved ways of
enhancing glaucoma care for patients. While there is no cure for
glaucoma, we remain dedicated to ensuring that patients have access
to available resources like Glaucoma in Perspective to support
their health and wellbeing," says Tracey
Ramsay, Vice President and General Manager, AbbVie Canada.
"We will continue to work collaboratively with key partners, such
as Fighting Blindness Canada, to address the unmet needs in
glaucoma care and help bring innovative solutions that bring
meaningful impact for Canadians."
About Fighting Blindness
Canada
Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) is Canada's leading
charitable funder of vision research. FBC offers hope to Canadians
by identifying the best, most promising research that is driving
treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases. Over our 45-year
history, FBC has invested over $40 million to support
vision research and education across Canada: that's over 200
research grants that have led to over 600 new discoveries
understanding why vision loss occurs, how it can be slowed or
stopped, and how sight can be restored. For more information,
please visit www.FightingBlindness.ca.
About AbbVie
AbbVie's mission is to discover and deliver innovative medicines
that solve serious health issues today and address the medical
challenges of tomorrow. We strive to have a remarkable impact on
people's lives across several key therapeutic areas: immunology,
oncology, neuroscience, eye care, virology, women's health and
gastroenterology, in addition to products and services across its
Allergan Aesthetics portfolio. For more information about AbbVie,
please visit us at www.abbvie.ca. Follow @abbviecanada on Twitter
and Instagram, or find us on LinkedIn.
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1 Fighting
Blindness. Glaucoma. Available at:
https://www.fightingblindness.ca/eyehealth/eye-diseases/glaucoma/
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2 Fighting
Blindness. Glaucoma. Available at:
https://www.fightingblindness.ca/eyehealth/eye-diseases/glaucoma/
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3 Fighting
Blindness. Glaucoma. Available at:
https://www.fightingblindness.ca/eyehealth/eye-diseases/glaucoma/
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4 Leger
Research. Glaucoma Survey commissioned by Allergan, an AbbVie
Company. Online survey of 150 Canadians
who have been diagnosed with glaucoma, between February 24-26,
2022, using Leger's online panel
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SOURCE AbbVie Canada