Allergan Australia will sponsor Glaucoma Australia with a donation of $300,000 over three years. The partnership’s focus will be on early detection and treatment adherence to help prevent irreversible blindness and boosting education and support for existing patients.
“For the next three years Allergan will be supporting our mission to eliminate glaucoma blindness,” Glaucoma Australia CEO Annie Gibbins said.
“As platinum partners, the significant support Allergan is providing will increase our capacity to provide a higher level of tailored education and support to patients referred to us. Together, we aim to save sight by improving early detection and treatment adherence.”
Glaucoma refers to a range of eye diseases in which vision is lost due to damage to the optic nerve. About 300,000 Australians are thought to have glaucoma, with 50 per cent of cases undiagnosed. Generally, there are no symptoms or warning signs in the early stages and a considerable amount of peripheral vision may be lost before the problem is identified. The condition is preventable but can cause irreversible blindness if left untreated.
With the risk of developing the disease 10 times greater in close relatives of people with glaucoma than others, Glaucoma Australia says it is committed to reaching those relatives to encourage them to have early and regular testing.
“Allergan is proud to be supporting Glaucoma Australia with this significant commitment and to making a material contribution to earlier detection among other critical resources for people living with this disabling form of eye disease,” Allergan Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Gerry Muhle said.
“Early intervention along with treatment adherence are key to saving sight in those with glaucoma, and we hope our support can make a meaningful difference in this area.”
