In our recent Voice of the Industry Market Outlook survey of more than 6,000 healthcare decision-makers worldwide, respondents identified the GCC as the most important region for healthcare businesses after Africa. 

Of all countries in the region, Saudi Arabia was named as having the best current performance (after the UAE). Survey participants were also the most optimistic of Saudi’s future from a healthcare perspective, seeing the country as the most attractive in the region for the next two years, again after the UAE.

Related: Voice of the Healthcare Industry Market Outlook

The principal reason given by survey respondents for Saudi Arabia’s attractiveness was the government’s investments or initiatives. They however also identified regulations or certifications as the biggest challenge when doing business in Saudi Arabia, ahead of other barriers such as customs clearance and payments collection.

Government initiatives in Saudi Arabia: Vision 2030 and National Transformation Program 

Saudi Arabia is undergoing rapid reforms that aim to realise the country’s economic potential under Saudi Vision 2030, the country’s ambitious long-term economic and social blueprint announced in 2016 to reduce its dependence on crude oil. 

To realise Vision 2030, a National Transformation Program (NTP) was launched, an economic action plan involving 24 government agencies. The NTP identified a number of key targets to be met by each government body by 2020. Saudi Arabia's healthcare plan under the NTP has placed the sector on a fast trajectory to privatisation and growth over the coming years.

With the private sector currently contributing less than 40 percent of GDP, Vision 2030 seeks to shift the Saudi government’s role from providing services to one that focuses on regulating and monitoring them, and therefore seeks to increase private sector contribution by encouraging investments, both local and international. 

To increase its long-term contribution to the Saudi economy, Vision 2030 commits to opening up new investment opportunities, facilitating investment, encouraging innovation and competition and removing all obstacles preventing the private sector from playing a larger role in development. In doing so, it aims to increase private sector participation to 65 percent by 2030.

In 2017, Saudi’s Ministry of Investment, the main facilitator of foreign investment into Saudi Arabi – then known as Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) - announced that foreign investors could have 100 percent ownership in healthcare, among other sectors, opening up opportunities worth US$ 180 billion. A specialised entrepreneuer license was also launched, allowing international entrepreneuers the opportunity to launch a fully foreign-owned startup in Saudi Arabia within hours. 

What's new in 2020: NTP report released

A new report was released in April 2020 detailing NTP achievements since inception in June 2016 until the end of 2019.

The report showed Saudi Arabia ranking first globally in business environment reforms, according to the World Bank Group’s Doing Business 2020 Report. 

The report explains that this is due to the establishment of the National Competitiveness Center (Tayseer) to develop a competitive environment by implementing more than 400 reforms to serve investors, such as procedures automation, development of regulations, regulations and policies, and enabling the private sector to achieve economic development. To date 57 percent of the 400 reforms have reportedly been implemented. 

Saudi Arabia also rose to 38th place from 141 in the global Starting a Commercial Activity index, according to the NTP achievements report. Comprehensive service centres (Meras) were established to provide instance licenses and electronic services necessary for starting a business, and regulations were put in place to develop the infrastructure for commercial business.

The establishment of a Saudi Patient Safety Center (SPSC) was the first of its kind in the region, with a focus on developing healthcare policies and procedures on scientifically proven principles; preparing the patient safety programmes to raise the efficency of health practitioners; and reducing the damage caused by medical errors in the Saudi health system. The SPSC, according to the report, increased the percentage of hospitals achieving the American average to measure patient safety culture from 30 percent in 2018 to 60 percent in 2019.

Also in the report:

• A new smartphone app, Seha, launched to provide health advice via specialised physicians, was downloaded 650,000 times in 2019 compared to 500,000 in 2018. 
• Mawid, an e-service provided by the Saudi Ministry of Health, in cooperation with hospitals, primary health care centres and specialised centres, resulted in 26 million appointments booked in 2019, rising from 8 million in 2018
• A Saudi Centre for Appointments and Medical Referrals was launched

What's new in 2020: First government-owned healthcare entity privatised

The Saudi government views healthcare as the sector with the best privatisation potential, targeting the privatisation of 290 hospitals and 2300 primary health centres by 2030.

In February 2020, the first privatisation of a government-owned healthcare entity under Vision 2030 was announced. Jadwa Investment announced the successful completion of its advisory mandate for the privatisation of Saudi Medical Services Company, a Saudi Arabian Airlines subsidiary. The transaction was completed through selling a majority stake to Dr Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Company.  

What's new in 2020: Update on procurement

A key contributor to the Saudi 2020 Vision is the National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO), Saudi Arabia’s biggest provider of standardised procurement services to government agencies working in the healthcare sector. Founded in 2009, NUPCO’s two main objectives are to achieve cost spending efficiency and improve the level of healthcare service providers to government hospitals.  

In an interview, NUPCO's CEO revealed that its purchases exceeded 62% of all government procurements in 2019 and that the number of beneficiaries using its services had reached 54. 

Medical device regulations and guidance

According to Export.gov, the Saudi Arabia market for medical equipment is estimated at just under US$2 billion and is growing annually at roughly 10%. With increasing awareness of health issues and a growing consumption of healthcare services in the country, there is a strong market for medical equipment. 

Saudi Arabia has a mature and well-developed regulatory framework in place for medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, allowing medical devices manufacturers, service providers and dealers & distributors to be able to make significant inroads in the Saudi market.

The recently introduced Medical Device Interim Regulations made Saudi Arabia a regulated market for all types of medical devices and all manufacturers wishing to supply a medical device require Saudi Food & Drug Authority (SFDA) Market Authorisation.

What's new in 2020

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 the SFDA has taken steps to ease importing restrictions, accelerate registration processes and provide all support for local factories and distributing companies to ensure regulations do not block the development or supply of devices that could save lives.

In order to ensure an adequate supply of medical devices and products needed are available in the kingdom, new COVID-19 regulatory interventions were applied. They include importing PPE, local unauthorised factories for PPE, and emergency importing permission for IVD kits. 

Saudi Arabia moved from Global Harmonization Task Force (GHTF) jurisdictions in March 2020, as a basis of regulations, to medical devices Technical File Assessment (TFA).    

In January 2020, the SFDA issued guidance on requirements of medical devices quality management system for distributors, importers and authorised representatives. Organisations manufacturing and servicing medical devices (manufacturers, authorised representatives, distributors and importers) now have to be certified to ISO 13485:2016, the international quality management system (QMS) standard for medical devices.

In December 2019, Saudi Arabia launched a new unified electronic platform, GHAD, replacing existing medical devices systems for listing, registration and establishment licensing (MDMA, MDNR and SFDA).

Also in December, a guidance document was released on Unique Device Identification (UDI) requirements for medical devices and IVDs, with an implementation date per risk class, linked to the finalisation and availabilty of the Saudi Arabia UDI Database, SAUDI-D.

To improve the health and safety of patients, users and others guidance reporting was issued to clarify the requirements for incidents and adverse events reporting to the SFDA. The guidance applies to medical devices manufactures, authorised representatives and healthcare providers.

Recognising that innovative medical devices have an important role in improving and facilitating both patient's and physician's quality of life, the SFDA introduced an Innovative Medical Device Designation process to improve the review processes for Innovative Medical Devices. Their guidance contains information for manufacturers on the operation of the designation and associated review processes.

Useful links

• Voice of the Industry Market Outlook survey
• Vision 2030: https://vision2030.gov.sa/en
• National Transformation Program: https://vision2030.gov.sa/en/programs/NTP
• Ministry of Investment: https://www.misa.gov.sa/ar/
• Saudi Food & Drug Authority: https://beta.sfda.gov.sa/en
• 2019 Saudi Arabia Healthcare Industry Overview [PDF]

Global Health Exhibition 2020

Your gateway to the healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia: Global Health Exhibition and Congress, held under the patronage of the Saudi Ministry of Health, brings together 15,000+ key healthcare professionals from KSA and across the globe to meet, learn and do business in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Learn more about the comprehensive range of healthcare products and services being showcased by the world’s most innovative and prevailing companies.

Discover Global Health Exhibition and Congress

With countries worldwide grappling with hospital bed shortages, international design firm HKS has asked a pertinent question: what if we used hotels and high schools for converting into hospitals?

It’s a question arising from a sobering statistic. Studies have suggested that five to nine million people infected with the coronavirus in the United States may need hospitalisation, a third of whom would require intensive care. According to The American Hospital Association there are approximately 920,000 staffed beds.

Related: Concept Study: Converting Hotels for Patient Care and Sequestration

The issue of how to prepare multiple building types for quick conversion into temporary patient care facilities was explored by HKS in collaboration with Mazzeti through two concept papers forming part of a new COVID-19 Conversions series.

The first examined how to convert a hotel with the goal of caring for low-acuity COVID-19 patients, while more recently HKS looked at the rapid conversion of high schools into functional patient care spaces should the virus spread to predicted levels.

From hotel to hospital in 10 days

HKS dived into detail in the case of hotel conversion through a webinar, How Can Hotels and Health Facilities Work Together to Address COVID-19.

It set out its approach by establishing that the CDC has provided guidance on alternate care sites (ACS) where patients with COVID-19 can receive medical care for the duration of their isolation period. These are typically in non-traditional environments - such as converted hotels.

ACS could provide two levels of care, the lowest of which – general, low level care for mildly to moderately symptomatic COVID-19 patients – would be suitable for guest room conversion in a hotel (guest floors and patient floors are similar).

Low acuity patients would benefit from having a private bathroom, as well as television and WiFi. Upon conclusion of the COVID-19 outbreak, most of the carpet would require removal before the resumption of normal hotel operations.

Ballroom areas meanwhile would be better suited to a different purpose altogether - patient wards offering direct observation and immediate care. An advantage highlighted by HKS in the webinar was that the ballroom allowed a more efficient clinician to patient staffing ratio.

Another way that ballrooms served a ward configuration well was through its air exchanges: in ballrooms they tend to be at higher rates than guest rooms, with higher percentages of outside air.

Air was highlighted in the webinar as a challenge – negative pressure in particular (most hotel HVAC systems are not able to create a negative pressure in guest/patient rooms) – alongside wiring and other modifications required for temporarily housing COVID-19 patients.

A full-service convention hotel would nonetheless allow for a conversion timeline for 10 to 14 days, with the right resources and team (mentioned in the webinar was the possibility of offering hotel staff a care role if training was delivered quickly enough).

Update: HKS selected to convert Michian Expo Center into COVID-19 field hospital

In an effort to help the Detroit region fight the COVID-10 pandemic, HKS has partnered with Gilbane Building Company for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on an 1,100-bed temporary field hospital in Novi, Michigan. The convention center retrofit at the 250,000 square-foot Suburban Center Showplace will treat COVID-19 patients and is expected to be operational on Apr. 20, a 15-day turn-around from start to finish.

What next

• Download the concept study.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), until an effective coronavirus vaccine becomes available, testing would be the best way to monitor and manage the pandemic. “We have a simple message to all countries – test, test, test,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was quoted saying.

Countries around the world have ramped up the production of testing kits and are opening up different avenues for people to get tested. For instance, in the UAE, both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have opened drive-through testing centres. Moreover, inspired by South Korea’s testing centres, the state of Kerala in India has set up Walk-in Sample Kiosks (WISK), to collect samples from those with COVID-19 symptoms. And in the UK, a home test will apparently go on sale very soon.

Types of Coronavirus tests

Since the symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to those of other diseases, testing is the only way to know for sure if someone is infected. There are two ways to perform a Coronavirus test. One is through Molecular tests that look for signs of an active infection and involve taking a sample from the back of the throat with a cotton swab. The sample then undergoes a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. This detects signs of the virus’s genetic material.

Related: COVID-19 detection kits for coronavirus unveiled at Medlab 2020

A PCR test can confirm a diagnosis of COVID-19 if it identifies two specific SARS-CoV-2 genes. If it identifies only one of these genes, it will produce an inconclusive result. It can help diagnose only current cases and won’t be able to tell whether someone has had the infection and recovered.

There are also the Serological tests that can detect antibodies that the body produces to fight the virus. These antibodies are present in anyone who has recovered from COVID-19. A serological test usually requires a blood sample and are useful for detecting cases of infection with mild or no symptoms.

According to reports, faster genetic tests, typically based on a method called loop mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), which takes less than half an hour, are also currently being developed. Reportedly, handheld LAMP tests could be used in homes and airports and may become available within weeks.

Below is a look at some test kits being used around the world to diagnose COVID-19:

FTD SARS-CoV-2 from Siemens Healthineers

Siemens Healthineers recently announced the availability of its molecular Fast Track Diagnostics (FTD) SARS-CoV-2 Assay test kit that will be used to aid in the diagnosis of COVID-19. Test kits are reportedly being shipped within the European Union for Research Use Only (RUO) to expedite availability while the company continues to pursue Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) from the WHO for clinical use. The company has also begun discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for release of the test under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Both applications are in progress.

Sebastian Kronmueller, Head of Molecular Diagnostics at Siemens Healthineers said: “The Siemens Healthineers assay is designed to help researchers positively identify the virus in less than three hours so that healthcare professionals can proceed as quickly as possible with the necessary next steps on their patients’ triage paths.”

The FTD SARS-CoV-2 Assay has been optimised on the Biomerieux EasyMag Extraction System and the Applied Biosystems 7500 Real-time PCR Thermocycler. It can be run in laboratories simultaneously with FTD Respiratory Pathogens 21, a molecular syndromic testing panel from Siemens that identifies 21 different upper respiratory pathogens that can cause acute respiratory infections.

BGI’s Real-Time SARS-CoV-2 Test

BGI Genomics. Co. Ltd. and its U.S. subsidiary BGI Americas Corp. recently announced that the U.S. FDA has issued an EUA for its RT-PCR kit for detecting SARS-CoV-2. The highly sensitive test can return results within three hours. It is intended for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2, in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and throat swabs.

“The authorisation of our diagnostic test for COVID-19 in the U.S. will provide high-quality, high-volume testing capabilities to the U.S., and enable medical professionals to respond quickly to diagnose patients, preventing further spread of infection,” Ye Yin, CEO of BGI Genomics was quoted saying. “As one of the first responders to the outbreak in China, we quickly scaled up our production and have deployed large numbers of kits for testing in China and globally in countries where our test kit has been approved.”

ADS Biotec’s test offers results in 15 minutes

In partnership with Japanese firm Kurabo, ADS Biotec has launched new SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Detection Kits (IgM / IgG) using an immunochromatographic method, providing an easy-to-use test for indications of COVID-19 within 15 minutes.

It consists of two types of kits, detecting IgM and IgG antibodies of coronavirus in human blood samples. The kits come complete with all required reagents and are easy to use, providing qualitative visual interpretation. The IgM and IgG antibodies detected by the test are specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and a positive result would be indicative of the patient having contracted COVID-19.

ThermoFisher Scientific’s TaqPath Kit

ThermoFisher Scientific has developed a new multiplex real-time RT-PCR diagnostic kit to enable clinical and public health laboratories to quickly diagnose COVID-19. The Applied Biosystems TaqPath COVID-19 CE-IVD RT-PCR Kit was approved for in vitro diagnostic use throughout Europe. It contains both the assays, controls and master mix required for the real-time PCR detection of RNA from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The kit can be used by laboratories to evaluate up to 94 patient specimens in under 2 hours. It is approved for use with RNA extracted from nasopharyngeal swabs, nasopharyngeal aspirate (nasal aspirate), and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) from patients at risk of exposure or with signs and symptoms of COVID-19.

Abbott launches molecular test

Abbott recently announced that the U.S. FDA issued an EUA for the fastest available molecular point-of-care test for the detection of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), delivering positive results in as little as five minutes and negative results in 13 minutes. The test will run on the company's ID NOW platform, providing rapid results in a wide range of healthcare settings. The ID NOW platform is small, lightweight (6.6 pounds) and portable (the size of a small toaster), and uses molecular technology, which is known for its high degree of accuracy.

Roche’s cobas SARS-CoV-2 test

Roche recently announced that the U.S. FDA has issued an EUA for the cobas SARS-CoV-2 Test. It is intended for the qualitative detection of SARS-CoV-2, in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab samples from patients who meet COVID-19 clinical and/or epidemiological criteria for testing.

The Roche’s cobas 6800/8800 Systems, which are used to perform the cobas SARS-CoV-2 Test, provide test results in three and half hours and offer fastest time-to-results with the highest throughput providing up to 96 results in about three hours and a total of 384 results for the cobas 6800 System and 960 results for the cobas 8800 System in 8 hours.

Spartan Bioscience’s test can detect COVID-19 in half-hour

A Medlab Middle East 2020 exhibitor, Spartan Bioscience, recently announced that it has received Health Canada approval for its rapid, accurate and portable COVID-19 test. Approval by Health Canada means that tests can now be shipped to Spartan’s federal and provincial government partners starting immediately. The test can reportedly detect the novel coronavirus in as little as half an hour.

In fact, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a recent announcement said that Spartan Bioscience, an Ottawa-based company, will supply tens of thousands of kits per month and potentially more as production increases.

Spartan’s test consists of a portable DNA analyzer called the Spartan Cube, which is the size of a coffee cup. The Cube performs the test with Spartan’s COVID-19 test cartridges and proprietary swabs. The automated test can be operated by non-laboratory personnel in settings such as airports, border crossings, doctors’ offices, pharmacies, clinics, and remote communities.

The technology is currently in use by organisations such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the New York State Department of Health, and Mayo Clinic. It has been published in medical journals including The Lancet and The New England Journal of Medicine. Spartan’s technology has regulatory approvals worldwide, including FDA 510(k), European CE IVD Mark, and Health Canada.

Unique Precise International's FDA approved test

Unique Precise International recently signed an agreement with an FDA approved Rapid Testing kit for COVID-19, which is reportedly ready to be supplied in the UAE. The test, carried out by a device that pricks your finger for blood, works this out by testing your blood. One kit is for one test and the result is delivered in 10 minutes. It has an approximate accuracy of 95 per cent.

QPS announces novel testing capability

QPS, a global contract research organization (CRO) that provides GLP-compliant discovery, preclinical, and clinical drug development services, has announced a newly developed capability to conduct COVID-19 testing. The company has developed and validated a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assay to identify active novel coronavirus infections. The assay is registered as a CLIA-certified assay in all U.S. states requiring COVID-19 testing notifications. After an initial ramp-up, the laboratory has a projected run-rate of up to 15,000 samples per month.

Simple COVID-19 home-test under development by The University of Manchester

Manchester biotech researchers are currently working towards developing a test for COVID-19 that could be used at home like a domestic pregnancy test. This prototype test is based on the fact sugars coat all human cells and could be used in the fight to detect infectious agents like coronavirus. This new screening new approach can help identify the COVID-19 virus – not by its genetic code, which can mutate, but by using its reliance on chains of sugars on human cells, which are constant.

Sugars coat all cells in the human body and they are the first layer a bacteria or virus encounters. Professor Rob Field and his team are interested in how to use the sugars to identify and even block a virus from penetrating the cell – and so preventing further infection.

Professor Field and his team at The University of Manchester are now working with spin-out company Iceni Diagnostics to get their new test ready and officially validated ready for the autumn. An autumn launch this year is key, as the application of this screening kit can support diagnoses of 'flu vs coronavirus', given the typical trend of flu season which can initially present similar symptoms.

When should you get tested?

Anyone with the following symptoms – cough, shortness of breath, and fever should ideally get tested, especially those with a chronic health condition and who are over the age of 60.

 You can also browse through the latest Test Kits on Omnia Health Global Medical Directory

Wars tend to accelerate technological innovation, and it appears that the current COVID-19 pandemic – described by officials worldwide as a warlike situation - is no different.

The outbreak is not only fast-tracking the development of new medicines and vaccines; it’s rapidly forcing the adoption of new tools and technologies generally. As one viral meme in social media put it, it has done more than any CEO or CTO in advancing workplace digital transformation.

A clear example of the wave of innovation coming out of the crisis can be seen in the huge response to worldwide PPE shortages, from masks to ventilators, particularly in the area of 3D printing.

Joining the many individuals and businesses helping to alleviate the current crisis is UK-based 3D LifePrints (3DLP), which provides 3D printed medical devices, products and services to organisations that include the NHS, private hospitals, research institutions and universities, medical device manufactures and medical training centres.

The company has been tasked by the NHS to work on a variety of devices for the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK. The first to be rolled out is a simple but effective anti-microbial handheld device designed and manufactured by 3DLP with Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust to reduce the risk of contamination when moving through buildings.

Research shows that the coronavirus survives on hard surfaces for up to 72 hours – including plastic and steel doors. COVID-19 is also, of course, highly infective, with 2.5 people infected by each carrier.

This evidently presents a problem to healthcare workers who are on the move within a hospital environment: a 2012 study on hospital door handle design revealed that ward staff entered and exited a gate 120 times within a two and half hour period.

As the following video demonstrates, the Distancer allows the medical professional safe passage through a door through hooking on to the handle.

It also works for doors that require pushing: the healthcare worker simply inserts their ID card into the device and raises it for scanning, before pushing the door open using the flat surface of the Distancer.

The device works for lifts, too: according to research the number of bacteria present on a lift button is almost 40 times higher than on a public toilet seat. While innovative solutions worldwide have included using toothpicks to push lift buttons, the Distancer makes it easier to tap through its hook.

As for carrying the device, the Distancer conveniently hangs off a belt or waist via a keyring or lanyard. The device is light, weighing no more than 50g and made from polypropylene, a durable material that commonly used surfactants/detergents will not deteriorate.

3D LifePrints revealed that 4,000 Distancers will be going out to the NHS next week. Furthermore, the company has pledged to donate one device to a UK NHS staff member for every unit purchased by industry.

There has also been strong global interest, especially in the Middle East where enquiries have come in from Dubai, Oman and Saudi Arabia, and there is potential for other buildings that include factories, warehouses, airports, conference centres, prisons, police stations and care homes.

Manufacturing the Distancer isn’t without its challenges. Founder and CTO Paul Fotheringham mentioned that the reason they have quickly moved from 3D printing to injection moulding techniques is due to the cost, speed of manufacturing and variable quality from desktop 3D printers. With injection moulding, up to 10,000 per week can be made lower cost.

Other 3D printed products in development include an adapter to fit a Costco snorkel mask to a standard NHS viral fitter, about to undergo testing in NHS England, and an oxygen splitter currently in the early stages of testing.

The device will triple capacity at hospital oxygen outlets during times of increased demand for patients requiring oxygen. Features will include three barbed hoses for oxygen tubing, instead of the usual one; a nipple adapter designed to help evenly distribute the flow of oxygen between the three hoses; and barbed hoses to secure oxygen tubing. It also connects to standard UK oxygen ports.

The Dubai Health Authority (DHA) announced that it has opened a drive-through COVID-19 testing centre at the Al Nasr Club, Oud Metha, for the general public, as part of intensified efforts to combat the coronavirus.

Open from 8.00 am to 6.30 pm daily for both nationals and expatriates, the centre enables the public to do a five-minute test free of charge without having to leave their car. Test results will be available in 48 hours.

The drive-through facility, with a capacity of more than 250 tests per day, supports efforts to protect the health and safety of the community by giving people an easily accessible centre to test for COVID-19. The centre caters to senior citizens; pregnant women; people of determination; people with chronic diseases; and people with COVID-19 symptoms. The new centre is staffed by highly-trained medical personnel.

To book an appointment for testing, people can call DHA on 800DHA (800342). Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message. The text message and the person’s Emirates ID should be presented at the drive-through centre for the test to be conducted.

Following verification, DHA medical personnel will approach the car to take a nasal swab in a procedure that lasts about five minutes. Results can be viewed within 48 hours of the test by downloading the DHA app and clicking ‘Lab Results’ under Patient Services’.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common causes of vision loss in people aged 60 and older. AMD affects the macula, a small, yet extremely important area in the retina responsible for seeing fine details clearly. When the macula is damaged, the centre of our field of vision may appear blurred, distorted, or dark, which may interfere with everyday tasks such as reading, writing, driving or recognising faces.

Stages of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

AMD is classified as dry AMD or wet AMD. In dry AMD, due to wear and tear, there is slow damage to the normal tissue constituting the macula, which then slowly wears out leaving an area of loss of visual function. All patients start out with dry AMD and 10 per cent will progress to have wet AMD. In wet AMD, networks of weak new vessels grow under the retina, with a high risk of rupture or leak of blood into the retina at any time, leading to sudden vision loss. Both conditions can be sight-threatening in the late stages.

Wet AMD is treated with intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF drugs. However, there is currently no cure for dry AMD, but dietary and lifestyle changes can slow down the disease progression. In those patients who do unfortunately experience vision loss, low vision aids can improve the central vision.

Risk factors

“As the name implies, the main risk factor of AMD is age. However, maintaining a healthy lifestyle seems to play a significant role in the development of the disease, especially in people with a genetic predisposition to it. People with Age Macular Degeneration are advised to quit smoking and always wear sunglasses with proper filters (100 per cent protection against both UVA and UVB or 100 per cent protection against UV 400) to protect their eyes when outdoors,” explains Dr. Luisa Sastre, Specialist Ophthalmologist in Medical Retina and Cataract Surgery at Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai.

“Additionally, for certain patients diagnosed with AMD, boosting their antioxidant intake could protect their eyes from damaging substances called oxidants that can impact eye health. Carotenoids, vitamins C and E, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc and copper are powerful antioxidants that are essential for maintaining optimal body function and promoting eye health,” she adds. 

Patients diagnosed with moderate to severe dry AMD or wet AMD are frequently advised to take nutritional supplements as certain studies have shown they can slow down the progression of the disease. However, the adoption of a healthy diet and lifestyle could result in comparable outcomes.