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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in Germany. Over a quarter of all people over 70 years of age have AMD changes in their eyes. Diabetes and vascular occlusions can also lead to retinal changes. Around 250,000 people in Germany regularly require intravitreal injection therapy (IVT), which is now one of the most common medical interventions and is administered around 1.5 million times a year.
With our study register TRIGS (Treatment of Retinal Diseases in Germany) we are researching the current care situation in Germany and are participating in the global register FightRetinalBlindness (FRB).
Almost a million people in Germany have glaucoma and at least another million have a risk constellation such as ocular hypertension. The care options range from drug therapy to laser treatments to various types of surgical interventions. The variety of care makes the care market confusing for patients and also for practitioners. Our goal is to create an empirical basis on the benefits of the various treatment options using care data and patient satisfaction surveys.
Sooner or later, cataracts affect almost everyone. The prevalence of cataracts is 50 percent in 75-year-olds and over 70 percent in those over 80. In Germany, around 1.2 million cataract operations are performed every year, which also serve to correct visual impairments.
Changes in patients' visual habits and desires for glasses-free vision are offset by new types of lenses that can meet these preferences.
Care data and patient surveys provide an overview of the large market for intraocular lens surgery and can help answer the question of the extent to which patients' wishes are being met.
Wetting disorders of the eyes are widespread and can have a significant impact on the quality of life of those affected. Between 5 and 34 percent of people worldwide suffer from dry eye; according to an older study from the 1970s for Germany, a prevalence of 11.7 percent in the population was determined. In general, the frequency is higher in women than in men. The causes and severity of dry eyes are as varied as the willingness of those affected to seek relief through continuous lubrication therapy. We can use app-based surveys to record patient experience and treatment behavior and thus analyze the care situation and contribute to a better quality of life for those affected.
Genetic eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa often lead to a gradual loss of vision, where coordinated cooperation between different institutions and disciplines is important. We want to work with patient associations to better understand the personal situation of those affected and to develop new care models for optimized patient care.
In Germany, the recording of blindness and visual impairment is the responsibility of the federal states, which pursue different principles and strategies for granting blindness benefits. This means that there are many different types of data collection and a confusing data situation. Together with the associations for blindness and visual impairment, we want to improve the information base for blindness and visual impairment in Germany and set up a data collection system that makes it possible to map longer-term trends.
Around one in three girls and one in four boys between the ages of 14 and 17 need glasses. Providing glasses is therefore an important task for ophthalmologists in childhood and adolescence.
Weak eyesight (amblyopia) can occur when the vision of one eye is underdeveloped in early childhood and the brain does not adequately process the images sent by the eye. Almost three percent of all children have inadequate vision at the school entrance examination. The prevalence of amblyopia in children and adolescents is around 1.5 percent and can be caused by a difference in refractive power (anisometropia) between the two eyes or by a squint (strabismus). It is therefore important to recognize critical developments at an early stage and to improve vision with appropriate corrective measures.
Approximately 4-5 percent of all adolescents have strabismus, but only around two thirds of those affected receive ophthalmological treatment.
Eye care, as early as possible, is essential to ensure adequate vision for the personal and school development of children and to detect possible diseases early. However, many parents find it difficult to get eye doctor appointments for their children, which is also problematic in different regions. From an ophthalmological point of view, the significantly lower remuneration than for the care of older people also contributes to this problem. With surveys and care data, we want to build an empirical basis for the problem that has so far been "perceived" and help to improve the ophthalmological care situation for children in Germany.
The undersupply, especially in rural areas, is a major problem for the population. At the same time, digitalization and networking, among other things, offer opportunities to counteract the deficiencies. We want to identify the specific obstacles and problems and develop solutions for how to strengthen ophthalmological care in the area.
The demographic aging of society means that there are more and more older people who are dependent on ophthalmological care. Not all of them can come to the ophthalmologist. At the same time, technical innovations are making it possible to use smaller examination devices, so that ophthalmological care is in principle also possible in the home environment or in retirement homes. We would like to further develop approaches to mobile ophthalmological care through pilot projects and check whether they can be transferred to standard care.
In order to achieve the best possible ophthalmological care, it is necessary that vision and eye care have a high health policy weight. Especially in view of demographic aging, which leads to a significant increase in ophthalmological care tasks, the importance of ophthalmology for the health of the population as a whole is increasing. With our care studies and information, we would like to help strengthen the importance and arguments of ophthalmology, address specific problems and develop solutions.
Designing eye care is a global challenge. It is useful to look beyond the boundaries of German ophthalmology and learn from the experiences of other countries. We therefore aim to bring care data for Germany into an international context and, for example, to work with experts from around the world within the framework of global registers.