Click here to view Retina International’s September 2020 Newsletter in!
Hello everyone!
We are delighted to bring you an update on just some of Retina International’s activities over the summer and to inform you about some events we have coming up to mark World Retina Day (26th September) and World Sight Day (October 8th).
– COVID-19 Webinar Series
– Retina Youth Conference 2020
– MAP Conference 2020
– COVID-19 Patient & Carer Impact Survey
– Key Dates
– Literature: “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadians who are Blind, Deaf-Blind, and Partially-Sighted” (April 2020).
COVID-19 Webinar Series
Retina International is delighted to present the first of two webinars addressing the unique challenges being posed by COVID-19 to our patient community. The first webinar will take place on September 3rd 2020 at 17:00 CET, and will focus on the ageing community, who are especially vulnerable in these uncertain times. This cross-disciplinary panel will explore how COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing measures have impacted quality of life, healthcare and access to essential services for patients of the ageing community, in particular those affected by conditions of the retina and neurological conditions.
Dr. Keith Gordon (Canada) from Retina Action will lead this panel discussion and will be joined by Donna Walsh (Ireland) from the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA), Karen Denton (South Africa) from Retina South Africa, and Dr. Heather Snyder (USA) of the Alzheimer’s Association. Registration for this event is free and open to the public. To register, please click here.
COVID-19 Webinar 1: A Unified Voice for the Ageing Community (pdf)
Retina Youth Conference 2020
The Retina International Team were delighted to welcome 123 attendees to our virtual Retina Youth Conference on August 24th and 25th. The event was hosted by Interim Chair of the Retina Youth Council, Marina Sutter, and featured a series of talks spanning genetics & emerging therapies all the way to wellness and life strategy coaching. A full blog of the day’s events can be seen at the following links to the Retina International Website:
Retina International Youth Conference 2020 – Day 1
Retina International Youth Conference 2020 – Day 2
Video recordings and slides for each speaker are available on the Retina International website in the MyRetina section. Please note that this section of the website is reserved for members only, and we encourage interested parties to reach out to their local member organisations to access the materials. Find your local member organisation here.
Managed Access Programmes & Accelerated Pathways Conference
Join experts and peers for the Managed Access Programmes and Accelerated Pathways Digital Week running 29 September – 1 October, 2020. This global 3-day series of live webcasts and downloadable resources will provide you with expert insights on operationalising early access programmes to better assist patients. Key stakeholders will engage in discussions on Managed Access Programmes, the implications, prevailing policies and current industry approaches. We are delighted that Retina Internationals’ Director of Research Policy, Dr. Orla Galvin PhD will participate in this conference to discuss “Commercialisation Strategies for Novel Medicines — A Look at Orphan Drugs and Cell and Gene Therapies”. To register for this webinar, or any of the free digital events happening over this 3 day event, please click here.
COVID-19 Patient & Carer Impact Survey
Retina International is conducting an online survey in order to better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted patients and caregivers of people living with retinal conditions. The survey takes approximately 5 minutes to complete, and we are looking for as many valuable insights as possible. If this is relevant to you, your network, or a loved one, please do circulate the link and take a few moments to fill it out. The survey can be found here. We thank you in advance for your time and providing this crucial information to us.
Save the date!
Below are some key dates for you to save to your calendar for the next few weeks:
– September 3rd: COVID-19 Webinar 1
– September 17th: COVID-19 Webinar 2
– September 26th: World Retina Day
– September 29th – Oct 1st: MAP Conference
– October 8th – World Sight Day
Literature
We are delighted to share a report from the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB), entitled “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Canadians who are Blind, Deaf-Blind, and Partially-Sighted”.
This report, published in April 2020 and authorised by webinar panelist Dr. Keith Gordon, highlights the shortfall of government pandemic initiatives in addressing the specific needs of those with low vision. This includes accessibility of testing sites, health care issues, and connecting with support networks like family and friends.
To view this insightful and comprehensive report, please click here.
Kind regards,
The Retina International Team