Shaping the Future of Retinal Disease Care

Recently, a person very close to me was diagnosed with a retinal disease and I’ve witnessed first-hand the fear and anguish she’s felt at the possibility of losing her eyesight. Having someone so close to me be affected has provided a new perspective on the urgency and importance of the work that my colleagues and I are doing at Bayer, giving patients hope for a better future.

As someone who has always been passionate about biology and making a difference to patients’ lives, I transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry after completing my PhD and post-doc in London and Athens, so I could witness the direct impact my work has on patients. Working at Bayer I get to do just that. I have the opportunity to lead a passionate cross-functional development team whose goal is to deliver meaningful outcomes for those living with retinal diseases and provide the highest quality of care to patients.

Our eyes are a crucial part of how we perceive and interact with the world and losing our eyesight can be a devastating experience, for both the individual and their families. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 2.2 billion people have a form of vision impairment with approximately 1 billion of these cases being preventable or yet to be diagnosed. As the global population continues to age, the incidence of retinal diseases is expected to increase.

To add to this, those who are diagnosed with a retinal disease can face numerous challenges; whether that’s frequent visits to a hospital to get treatment, or reliance on family members to get them to their appointments. Here at Bayer, our vision of helping patients with exudative retinal disease see a better life is central to how we shape the future in ophthalmology through extensive research, global collaboration and needs-led innovation and technology.

To conclude, I want to express my deep gratitude to my team and #BayerOphthalmology for their unwavering commitment and dedication to improving the lives of patients affected by retinal diseases and their families. It is truly inspiring to work alongside such talented and compassionate individuals who share a common passion for making a positive impact in the world. Thank you all for your hard work and commitment to making a positive difference in people’s lives.

March 2023 PP-EYL-ALL-1181-1