On the occasion of the World Diabetes Day, the Lebanese Ophthalmological Society (LOS) and the Lebanese Society of Endocrinology Diabetes and Lipids (LSEDL), with support from global pharmaceutical leader Novartis, launched a national awareness campaign under the name of 'Keep your eye on diabetes' 'Khalili Aynak Al Sikkari', at a press conference held on November 13th at Gefinor Rotana Hotel, Hamra. The press conference was held by Dr. Monzer Saleh, President of LSEDL, Dr. Jamal Bleik, President of LOS and Mr. Mohamad Rammal, Head of Novartis and attended by a number of broadcast media and health reporters.
In his opening speech, Mr. Mohamad Rammal, Head of Novartis - Levant countries, underlined that his company's research and development focuses on unmet medical needs and strong scientific understanding of diseases. Diabetic patients are a central focus of Novartis, which recognizes that the right intervention at the right time can protect the patient from severe consequences in various parts of the body, including the eyes. ''We are proud of our collaboration with two scientific and medical societies - LOS and LSEDL - on this national awareness campaign, which is a unique kind of collaboration in the medical field. Together we can achieve more in alerting the population on the importance of early diagnosis and preventive measures, and this is a big message of hope given to a great number of patients", stated Mr. Rammal who called upon all the diabetes population to immediately visit an ophthalmologist for an evaluation of their vision health.
Dr. Monzer Saleh, President of LSEDL, emphasized that in this day and time, with all the scientific advancements in the medical field, it is intolerable to see a diabetic patient losing their vision as a consequence of the disease. Praising the role of Novartis in supporting this campaign, Dr. Saleh stated: "The number of patients is dramatically increasing and we expect it to reach 550 million patients by 2030. In Lebanon, diabetes is widely spread, yet people do not have enough awareness about its complications and especially its potential menace to vision, hence the World Diabetes Day congress for public awareness to be held on November 15th in Beirut". The LSEDL, with support from Novartis, were able to screen thousands of diabetic patients in mobile clinics across the country, which resulted in approximately 12% of patients being diagnosed with vision complications and referred to ophthalmologists for further tests and treatment".
From his side, Dr. Jamal Bleik, President of LOS, gave an enlightening overview of how diabetes affects the eye and stressed that Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Macular Edema are the main causes of blindness among the working age population. "Two of the most dangerous complications of diabetes is Diabetic Retinopathy and Diabetic Macular Edema, which are fortunately preventable if the patient is timely diagnosed and treated, that is why it is crucial to have regular visits to the ophthalmologist at least once a year", said Dr. Bleik. The doctor further emphasized the importance of the close collaboration between ophthalmologists and endocrinologists to ensure proper follow-up and prevention of vision loss among the diabetic population, and stressed on the role of this awareness campaign 'khalili Aynak Al Sikkari' as the first national awareness campaign addressing this issue .
The 'Keep an Eye on Diabetes' awareness campaign will run on media channels including TV and radio, billboards and press, during the months of November and December, to ensure a wide reach to the greatest number of patients. The press conference ended with a session of questions and answers for the media, which continued through lunch at the same location.
