Good news for patients with macular degeneration! "Dual-mechanism" intraocular injection drugs are included in health insurance. Experts: It can be treated once every four months at most
As many as 6.9 million Taiwanese people seek medical treatment for eye diseases! Public macular degeneration screening helps early detection
According to the 2022 National Health Insurance Medical Statistics, approximately 6.9 million people in Taiwan seek medical treatment for eye diseases, an increase of approximately 110,000 from last year. On average, approximately one out of every three persons seeks medical treatment for vision problems. Further examination of the age and place of residence of the patients revealed that 45% of the medical population was over 50 years old, and about 30% of the patients did not live in the six cities. It can be speculated that among Taiwanese people with vision problems, a certain proportion of elders living in rural areas account for a certain proportion.
“Elders who live in rural areas may be more passive about eye disease examinations and treatments because medical resources are relatively limited and accessibility needs to be improved!”
Wu Jianliang, chairman of the Taiwan Loving Blind Association and chief physician of the Department of Ophthalmology at Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital, pointed out that this time the association joins hands with Roche Taiwan and invites artist Guo Ziqian to serve as the health education ambassador, hoping to gather volunteers and resources from academia and industry, including those from outlying islands. We hold public macular degeneration screening activities in rural areas across Taiwan, providing highly convenient free examinations to help patients with macular degeneration be screened and treated early.
Dual-mechanism intraocular injection drugs are included in health insurance. Experts: Treatment of macular degeneration can last up to 4 months
Girish Mulye, general manager of Roche Taiwan, said that in view of the fact that macular degeneration is a major threat to vision health, not only 1 in 4 elderly people with visual impairment are caused by macular degeneration; it is also the cause of blindness in the elderly. related to it. Therefore, promoting convenient macular degeneration screening activities in rural areas is expected to help people detect the disease early, reduce the impact of the disease on Taiwanese people, and improve the visual health of the entire people.
In addition to providing convenient screening measures, the Taiwan Health Insurance Administration also started paying for “a new generation of dual-mechanism intraocular injection drugs” starting from January 1 this year. In addition to having the same mechanism as existing drugs, it can reduce abnormal blood vessel proliferation. It also adds a function that can make blood vessels more stable. Chairman Wu Jianliang emphasized that the unique “dual mechanism” feature of this drug is expected to help patients achieve disease control faster and improve their quality of life.
Chairman Wu Jianliang also pointed out that the inclusion of dual-mechanism drugs in health insurance can help patients build confidence in disease resistance in the early stages of treatment; after the disease course is stably controlled, the possibility of extending the treatment cycle can also be discussed with the attending physician, with an average of 1-4 months, and a maximum of If you have the opportunity, you can treat it once every 4 months. Through the important concept of “quickly controlling the disease first, and then extending the frequency of treatment”, we create a treatment course that is both effective and convenient.
Macular degeneration is like a leaky house! Negative control can lead to permanent blindness
“Ageing and the occurrence of diabetes may accelerate macular lesions, causing aging-related “wet age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)” and “polypodal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)”, and “diabetic macular edema (DME)”, the eyesight assassin of diabetic patients. The pathogenesis of the three major diseases is similar, but they all originate from blood vessel proliferation and leakage in different places.”
Chairman Wu Jianliang described the process of macular lesions as similar to buying a “leaky house”. If the water pipes are not repaired in time, only minor problems such as moisture and wall cancer may appear at first. However, if no active action is taken, the house will be repaired as soon as possible. Returning to dryness will cause serious structural damage, possibly causing permanent vision impairment or even blindness.
However, according to the “White Paper on Macular Degeneration”, although up to 89% of respondents believe that regular treatment of macular degeneration is important, 34% of patients still find it difficult to return for regular treatment. It can be seen that improving the stability of patient treatment is still a problem. important challenge. “Many patients and families will aim to reduce the frequency of treatment, but in fact, this is not good enough!”
Macular degeneration makes vision bleak! Guo Ziqian reveals his care experience
Chairman Wu Jianliang emphasized that for patients, the improvement of vision is a more intuitive feeling. If they want to increase their enthusiasm for treatment, the decisive point lies in whether they can quickly control the course of the disease and help them say goodbye to foggy, distorted, dim, and dark spots. point of view, thereby improving the quality of life. After the patient has enough confidence in the treatment course, adjusting the treatment frequency according to the patient’s treatment condition is the key to long-term combat against macular degeneration.
“The launch of health insurance benefits for a new generation of dual-mechanism intraocular injection drugs is expected to benefit age-related nAMD, PCV, and the vision assassin of diabetic patients - DME.” Chairman Wu Jianliang further described the new generation of dual-mechanism intraocular injection. Drugs can simultaneously reduce abnormal blood vessel proliferation and make blood vessels more stable, preventing more broken water pipes in leaky houses, and also improving the problem of water pipe leakage.
Macular Degeneration Health Education Ambassador Guo Ziqian also shared that his mother-in-law is a patient with macular degeneration. With the help of a new generation of dual-mechanism intraocular injection drugs, the vision problems that have long troubled her have been improved in the early stage of treatment. The haze of worrying about blindness due to illness also dissipated along with the feeling of water mist caused by illness.
After reducing the impact of macular degeneration symptoms, my mother-in-law’s quality of life and mood have significantly improved, and she is more positive about future treatment. Guo Ziqian encouraged the public that in addition to active treatment for the patients themselves, he also invited family members to accompany them so that their elders would not be alone in their fight against the disease. Whether it is a warm phone call to remind family members to return for follow-up follow-up and treatment; or accompanying them to the hospital for treatment, it can help patients gain the motivation to stabilize their fight against macular degeneration.
Take 30 seconds to get tested for free every month! 4 steps to self-assess the risk of macular degeneration
Chairman Wu Jianliang also reminded that in order to protect the visual health of yourself and your family, it is recommended to use the Amsler grid to quickly detect whether you have the risk of macular degeneration in just 30 seconds every month. Before the test, put on your own presbyopia or myopia glasses, and make sure your eyes are 30 centimeters away from the grid table; during the test, first gaze at the black dot in the center of the table with your left eye, and then switch to your right eye after completion Just do it one more time and it’s done.
Chairman Wu Jianliang emphasized that as long as the four major symptoms of blurring, distortion, black spots, and dim color appear when looking at the table, whether it is obvious or only a slight change, there is a risk of macular degeneration. It is recommended to go to a medical institution as soon as possible. Check it out.
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