The Health | April , 2021

As part of the World Glaucoma Week ( WGW ) 2021 , the Malaysian Glaucoma Society organised a Facebook Live Ask Us Anything : Open Discussion session streamed on the World Glaucoma Week , Malaysia Facebook page .

The discussion opened with a video featuring iconic actor and television host Datuk Jalaluddin Hassan , sharing the importance of frequent eye check-ups and early detection .

Moderated by Dr Azlan Azha Musa , the discussion featured speakers from University Malaya Medical Centre , Prof Dr Mimiwati Zahari , Associate Professor Dr Norlina Ramli and Associate Professor Dr Amir Samsudin .

The normal internal eye pressure or intraocular pressure ( IOP ) ranges from 10-21 millimetres of mercury ( mm Hg ). However , when the IOP increases more than the normal range , it damages the optic nerve , resulting in glaucoma .

The main issue with glaucoma , said Dr Amir , was the lack of symptoms or signs of the disease .

“ Usually in the early or intermediate stages , the peripheral vision will slowly diminish . However , there are hardly any glaucoma symptoms at all , and their eyesight is still good and clear . Therefore , most patients are unaware of the deficiencies in their vision ,”

BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN

That is a pity because this permanent vision loss can be avoided if more people , especially those in the higher risk groups , were aware of proper eye screening .

In efforts to create awareness of glaucoma , a disease deemed the silent thief

said Dr Amir .

“ Most patients tend to indirectly find the effects of glaucoma when they visit an ophthalmologist or optometrist for checks or screening for other problems such as eye infection or other eye injuries .”

The risk factors

Risk groups identified are those administering high frequency of steroids , increasing age , family history of glaucoma , underlying primary open-angle glaucoma , diabetes mellitus , high or low myopia and those at a young age .

As young people were also susceptible to the disease , Dr Norlina explained : “ Although glaucoma is the disease of the elderly , individuals under 40 can get glaucoma , particularly those with positive family history ; who had refractive surgery ; or those who administer steroids .”

Dr Mimiwati noted that while glaucoma usually occurred when the

Datuk Dr Noor Azmi launched the event .

of sight , World Glaucoma Week ( WGW ), a global initiative by the World Glaucoma Association ( WGA ), is observed in March every year in most countries .

Themed The world is bright , save your sight , the WGW 2021 celebration in Malaysia was organised by the Malaysian Glaucoma Society ( MGS ) in collaboration with the Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology ( MSO ), College of Ophthalmologist , Ministry of Health Malaysia ( MoH ), ParkCity Medical Centre , DKSH Healthcare Malaysia , Novartis Corporation ( Malaysia ) Sdn Bhd , Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia , Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia , Universiti Malaya and Universiti Sains Malaysia .

Eye screening important

WGW 2021 was launched on March 7 , 2021 , via an online opening ceremony , streamed live at MGS ’ s Facebook and Youtube pages . In her welcoming address , WGW 2021 chairperson Prof Dr Liza Sharmini Ahmad Tajudin noted that the word ‘ glaucoma ’ was still foreign within society . Thus , she hoped the special week would bring about awareness , and more people , especially

eye pressure was more than 21 mm Hg , there were some cases where the damage occurred to the optic nerve without eye pressure exceeding the normal range . It was known as normal-tension glaucoma ( NTG ), low tension or normal-pressure glaucoma .

“ Some of the risk factors for NTG are migraine , Raynaud ’ s phenomenon , and over-treated systemic hypertension ,” she explained .

Due to the lack of symptoms , they stressed not taking the disease lightly as it could lead to non-reversible blindness . However , with early detection , the progression can be slowed and delayed .

“ When someone is diagnosed with glaucoma , I always tell them to not worry because the risk of becoming blind can significantly be reduced with interventions such as medications or surgery to reduce the IOP ,” assured Dr Mimiwati . those at risk , would get proper eye screening .

“ Hopefully , blindness due to glaucoma can be reduced . Engaging activities were arranged for a week involving various institutions and most hospitals in Malaysia . “ This effort will continue throughout the year , not just for the week ,” said Dr Liza , who is also the Vice-Chairperson of MGS .

Dr Fang Seng Kheong , the current president-elect of the Asia Pacific Glaucoma Society and Chairperson of MGS , welcomed and thanked the guest-of-honour , Deputy Health Minister I Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali , for gracing the occasion .

Dr Fang , from International Specialist Eye Center ( ISEC ), also serves as the advisor for WGW 2021 .

“ The 2021 theme reflects the hope that with regular testing , people continue to see the world around full of beauty , charm and adventure . Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness , but the damage can be limited and sight saved with early treatment .

“ We also want glaucoma patients to get their relatives involved as the chances of them getting glaucoma are 10 times higher than someone with no glaucoma history in their family .”

Dr Noor Azmi , in his opening speech , hoped WGW would increase knowledge and awareness about glaucoma among the public as it is relatively less popular and less mentioned by the general public

As the disease has no symptoms or signs , he said it was not surprising patients tended to visit an ophthalmologist only when the field of vision becomes very narrow and has reached an advanced stage .

“ Most glaucoma patients are the elderly , who may be more convinced that poor vision at twilight age is normal . This complacent nature has caused many glaucoma patients to lose their sight .

“ Hopefully , such efforts can help the general public to come forward to seek treatment at an earlier stage .”

He also congratulated the organisers for their efforts to increase glaucoma awareness and hold the event according to the new norms .

The launch by Dr Noor Azmi was followed by the showcase animated video on glaucoma awareness by Santen .

Vice-President of DKSH Healthcare Malaysia ( DKSH ) Gary Chee shared his appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate in WGW .

Since last year , DKSH and Novartis have been actively collaborating with key ophthalmologists from both the private and public sectors to organise disease awareness programs via social media platforms on various topics related to eye health , not limited to glaucoma only .

“ We are proud to be part of a global initiative during the WGW to raise awareness on the importance of frequent eye check-ups and early detection to save your sight in Malaysia .”

Online WGW 2021 programmes

Among the programmes planned for the WGW 2021 were the Ask Us Anything : Open Discussion and Glaucoma Chats series , streamed on Facebook and YouTube , discussing different aspects of glaucoma and interviewing patients to share real-life experiences to create awareness .

Three different chat series sessions featured patients with steroid-induced glaucoma , juvenile open-angle glaucoma , and primary open-angle and closed-angle glaucoma .

The first chat , Glaucoma Chat 1 : Steroid Induced Glaucoma , was moderated by Associate Prof Dr Mimiwati Zahari , an