“The Glaucoma In Perspective” Mobile App Educates About Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, which can cause people to progressively lose their vision and in some cases, can result in blindness. As of 2020, more than 400,000 Canadians suffer from glaucoma. Unfortunately, early vision loss from glaucoma can go undetected.

Fortunately, the latest edition of an app that helps people newly diagnosed with glaucoma has been recently released! The “Glaucoma In Perspective” app provides glaucoma education in a concise and user-friendly format, which helps patients and their families to understand the condition and its impacts. Topics that are covered include why eye pressure is important, and the right number of eye drops to use to avoid the condition from worsening.

Image: https://appadvice.com/app/glaucoma-in-perspective-my/1083433891

The development of the app has been supported by Glaucoma UK, a glaucoma charity, to ensure accessibility to wider audiences. A development team, led by David Crabb, who is the Professor of Statistics and Vision Research and lead of the Crabb Lab at University of London, based the app on results from their research that focused on patients’ awareness of sight loss with glaucoma. Crabb believes that patient information for glaucoma is often complicated and inaccurate and Glaucoma In Perspective combats those issues. He hopes that it will help people understand the consequences of neglecting treatment.

One of the main features is a series of interactive demonstrations that emphasize the gradual sight loss that can occur with the disease. The app allows the user to experience the impact of glaucoma on activities such as driving and cooking. Furthermore, through a series of animations, users are provided with up-to-date information about their condition and the treatments available.

The app is available for free on IOS iTunes and Google Play (Android). Some of the features of the new edition include increased font size for text and an improved interface that makes the app more navigation-friendly.

Carol, an app user states, “I love the App and found it extremely useful on all levels. After 30 years with glaucoma, there were still things on the App I didn't know! Meanwhile, it's wonderful to be able to share the App with family and friends, so they understand more about glaucoma—it can be a lonely place without that support. The graphics and interactive elements take some of the sting out of having to deal with the disease alone."

Glaucoma In Perspective holds much potential in the eye care technology industry, and hopefully will provide users, both patients and loved ones, with a beneficial experience.

Sources:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-03-people-glaucoma-mobile-app.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/glaucoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20372839#:~:text=Glaucoma%20is%20a%20group%20of,over%20the%20age%20of%2060.

https://ottawafamilyeyecare.com/2020/01/19/over-400000-canadians-suffer-from-glaucoma/