Retina South Africa Annual General Meeting (AGM) hosted by Bayer South Africa  

The Annual General Meeting of Retina South Africa took place on Saturday, 12 August 2023. Retina South Africa is a registered patient-driven Non-Profit Organization (NGO) which supports research for patients with a wide range of retinal conditions. The organisation also facilitates genetic testing to identify patients who will benefit from clinical trials and imminent therapy, drives awareness of retinal degeneration, and drives patient education, referrals, and interventions[1].

In addition to the discussions on Retina South Africa’s performance and strategy, this AGM showcased the latest technology and innovation in accessible devices. Motivational Speaker Alani Ferreira, a Paralympic swimmer was joined by Professor John Flannery from UCLA, Berkeley, who gave an update on the latest research into retinal degeneration, and Elizabeth Louw from Guide Dogs who spoke about the independence that mobility training provides.

“Bayer participates in a number of multi-stakeholder platforms to develop collaborative and impactful solutions for health. Bayer has been working with Retina South Africa for the past four years and this meeting builds on our sustainability priorities that helps to advance Bayer’s health solutions across the world”, Dr Gcinashe Nqabeni, Policy and Patient Advocacy Manager at Bayer South East West Africa.

“Retina South Africa welcomes Bayer’s support in creating awareness of retinal vision loss. Genetic retinal conditions, Age Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Retinopathy together cause vision loss in over 1 million South Africans. Awareness, identification, and intervention will help control this major eye health risk”, Claudette Medefindt, National Secretary at Retina South Africa.

Globally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. In at least 1 billion – or almost half – of these cases, vision impairment could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed^[2]. Bayer continuously pursues collaboration opportunities which help to improve or prevent loss of vision amongst patients with exudative retinal diseases.

 “The Annual General Meeting gives us an opportunity to engage with our members and stakeholders and to reflect on the achievements of the organisation over the past year, make key strategic decisions for the way forward, and hear from some fantastic guest speakers.  We thank Bayer South Africa for their continued support and for hosting us at their offices”, Manny Moodley, Chairperson at Retina South Africa.

 About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability, and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.co.za

About Retina South Africa

Retina South Africa is the only patient led advocacy and support group for patients with a wide range of retinal conditions. Retina South Africa’s vision is to ensure that all South Africans with retinal conditions have access to appropriate treatments. The organisation is guided by the mission to firstly – empower people with low vision to be productive members of society through information-sharing, training, and counselling; secondly – support research into retinal conditions and to ensure that this benefits all South Africans; and thirdly – market Retina South Africa, to raise awareness and fundraising to support this work.