Bayer introduces digital ophthalmology in Lebanon through its Alleye home-monitoring sponsorship program
An interview with Dr. Samer Al Faqih, managing director and commercial area head, Bayer Levant
As more and more of the way we receive healthcare shifts towards online, Bayer Middle East looks to utilize digital health to provide better eye care for local patients and support doctors through the launch of the Alleye Home Monitoring Sponsorship Program.
Dr. Samer Al Faqih, managing director and commercial area head at Bayer Levant, shares how Bayer are innovating virtual care.
What is Alleye and how will it improve the patient experience?
“Alleye” is a mobile medical software application that helps detect and characterize visual distortion in patients with retinal diseases like Age-related Macular Degeneration, a moderate or severe distance vision impairment or blindness. What makes it such a revelation in terms of eye care is that patients can now check their condition by themselves at home and it is also very user friendly and simple to navigate. Patients will be able to send their vision scan results to their ophthalmologist who will, in turn, analyze their results to determine if the patient’s condition is stable or has improved or progressed in a way that requires intervention.
In sum, Alleye means that patients can manage their condition from the safety of their home and therefore giving them the peace of mind they need.
What is the current landscape in terms of retinal diseases and eye care in Lebanon and the region?
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic caused massive disruptions in the healthcare industry, requiring professionals to re-examine the traditional face-to-face patient-physician care model. It also highlighted the need to incorporate new models of digital healthcare solutions in ophthalmology, such as home-monitoring, to meet this challenge.
Diabetic Retinopathy, a complication of diabetes, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in adults. A recent study also showed that 24.6 percent of Type 2 diabetes patients in Lebanon suffered from Diabetic Retinopathy, and diabetics with a more severe Diabetic Retinopathy condition presented late to ophthalmology clinics.
In addition, diabetes as a disease is estimated to become even more prevalent than it is in the region during the next two decades, with data from the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas revealing that diabetes cases in the Middle East are set to rise by 110 percent by 2045.
In terms of eye care, there really isn’t anything like Alleye in Lebanon or the region, so this will be a revolutionary tool to help address the needs of patients and doctors when it comes to disease management.
How will the program help in this regard?
The sponsorship program enables ophthalmologists of partnering hospitals across Lebanon to keep a regular track on the vision of their retinal disease patients, with the aim of limiting deterioration linked to diabetes and aging as well as optimizing in-person ophthalmology visits. Additionally, ophthalmologists will also be able use Alleye to observe their patients’ conditions, monitor disease progress, and allocate needs more closely than ever before. it will also help us to detect signs of early disease before the patient is truly aware of it, giving us a chance to prevent long term and irriversable damage. A recent study showed that Alleye can detect the progression in macular disease with an accuracy of 93.8 percent and a false alarm rate of only 6.1 percent, which means that false alarm rates for the detection of progression in macular disease via home monitoring is low.
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.