The HealTH Xtra | october, 2019
Xtra
02
World Sight day 2019
Sight for sore eyes
Eye health in Malaysia has been out of focus among the Malaysian
public, this World Sight Day 2019 aims to change that. And it starts
from gathering the professionals
N
EGLECTFUL eye care can cause the loss
of our sight, restricting us the access
to see these fi ner things in life. Despite
the severity of losing one’s vision, we
tend to take things for granted when
it comes to our eyes’ condition.
In conjunction with this year’s World Sight Day,
Revon Media collaborated with the Ophthalmology
depatrtment of Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz
UKM have taken the initiative to gather eye profes-
sionals - optometrists and ophthalmologists alike - on
BLIND NEGELECT: Dr ayesha says that neglecting eye care can lead to
permanent blindness.
a sharing session to reinforce their co-existing role in
creating better eye care awareness among Malaysians.
Kay Mathy, publisher for Revon Media Sdn Bhd
says: “Th e initiative to gather the optometrists and
ophthalmologists in Malaysia is a historic one. We
are glad that the responses from each individuals and
organisations to have this event were tremendously
positive."
"Th ere is strong need for better awareness for eye
health among Malaysians, therefore it is important
for us to take the step forward in reinforcing eye care
“eye check-up is highly suggested for the elderlies and those with a family
history of eye diseases,” Dr Bastion says.
The gathering
Professionals from primary, secondary, and tertiary eye
care gathers to talk better eye health for Malaysians
P
As professionals, we
need to come together
and take full advantage
of this platform that
allows us to educate
ourselves in our fi eld
of expertise to provide
better service and
awareness for the
public.””
– dr ayesha Mohd Zain
ROFESSOR Dr Mae-Lynn
Catherine Bastion, Con-
sultant Ophthalmologist
(Vitreoretine) from Hospi-
tal Canselor Tuanku Muhriz
Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (HCTM UKM) says: “Th ere
are many preventable eye diseases the
public are unaware of. Cataract is one
of them. While the damages can be
reversed through surgery, we believe
prevention is always the optimum
choice.” She thinks the awareness of
sight loss has been better among the
general public in developing areas but
still worrying for the more rural parts
of Malaysia.
Dr Ayesha Mohd Zain, Clinical
Ophthalmologist from HCTM UKM
adds that there are many contribut-
ing factors to sight loss. Th e average
age of losing sights have decreased
significantly over the years. “We
always thought blindness only occurs
when we get old. However, it can
occur in younger generations and the
number of young patients losing eye-
sight has increased over the last few
years.”
Dr Bastion and Dr Ayesha are two of
the many behind-the-scene people for
the gathering teased by the headline
of this article.
Diff erent perspectives,
same vision
For the fi rst time ever, a gathering has
been organised to bring together eye
care professionals from all levels of
expertise as a way to strengthen the
eye health of Malaysians. Carrying
the theme “Your Future, Our Focus”;
the initiative is done by the Malaysian
Eye Care Professionals by both optom-
etrists and ophthalmologists’ bodies,
in collaboration with Revon Media,
with the aim to improve our vision
towards a brighter future in eye care
services.
This will also help the public to
become aware and understand the
respective roles. The event aims to