It has been said, “Just because you have the measles doesn’t mean you can’t catch chicken pox”. Many people affected by macular degeneration and other diseases of the eye have learned that glaucoma is often a secondary condition with which they must also deal.
“Today, there are more than an estimated 3.2 million Americans that have glaucoma,” said Jeff Todd, President and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “By creating new resources, our goal is to provide the information and support that patients and their caregivers need to help prevent significant vision loss from the ‘Sneak Thief of Sight,’ as glaucoma is commonly called.”
Toward that goal, Prevent Blindness and Responsum Health have launched an online knowledge platform for patients with glaucoma. Called “The Glaucoma Community”, the platform can be accessed for free via web browser or mobile app.
The Glaucoma Community provides users with a toolkit of useful, community-oriented features:
- A personalized Newsfeed delivers easy-to-read daily summaries of important glaucoma news and information from across the Internet, all of which is written by professional health writers and vetted by Prevent Blindness reviewers.
- Community Chat is a moderated social wall where users can share experiences and advice in up to seven languages.
- Patient One-Sheet allows patients to easily collect, maintain, and print their key medical information in a secure format.
- Access to a robust collection of trusted patient resources, including financial assistance programs and glaucoma support groups.
The Glaucoma Community was made possible by a grant from The Allergan Foundation.
“While the Internet offers the promise of unlimited access to information,” said Andrew M. Rosenberg, Founder and CEO of Responsum Health, “individuals with glaucoma can easily find themselves overwhelmed by too much content or underserved by inaccurate, inappropriate, or overly complex content. The Glaucoma Community solves that problem. We are excited to be partnering with Prevent Blindness to bring people with glaucoma a state-of-the-art app to help them better understand their treatment options, develop strategies to improve their health and quality of life, and find community among others who are facing the same challenges from this chronic disease.”
SOURCE: Press Release