For patients

You are not alone

• Approx. 4% of the world's population is affected by retinal diseases (2006).
• This number is growing by approx. 2.75% per year, due to the increasing age of the population.
• Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness among adults of working age and a major cause of visual impairment caused by diabetic retinopathy. Today, more than 250 million people are suffering worldwide from diabetes, of which approx. 1/3 run the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
• A large-scale and well-established clinical study "Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study" (ETDRS) has proven that timely and precise laser treatment of the retina reduces the incidence of vision loss and blindness in diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and the leading cause of blindness in American adults. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In some people with diabetic retinopathy, these blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. If not treated, diabetic retopathy can worsen and eventually lead to vision loss or blindness.

We want to help

OD-OS has developed the Navilas® Laser System as a new solution for imaging and documenting your eye disease over time, and - once your physican determines that a laser treatment becomes a viable option - allows the physican to perform tailored planning for your retina. This treatment plan can then be visualized with Navilas®, superimposed on top of your retina during teatment. Navilas® assists your physician in an accurate and speedy treatment of your retina. Accurate laser treatment of the retina has been shown to be beneficial to maintaining vision - at least in specific diseases. And the faster the treatment, the more comfortable it is for you as a patient.

For further information, please consult:

http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic

http://www.macular.org/

Sources:

• ETDRS and DCRNET studies, WHO reports, National Eye Institute, medical publications, 2002-2006