There is still much to do to raise awareness towards eye care
| Eye Health |
OCTOBER , 2023 | THE HEALTH
17
Focusing on eye wellness
There is still much to do to raise awareness towards eye care
BY KHIRTINI K KUMARAN
VISION is one of our important senses , but many don ’ t prioritise eye care when it comes to health check-ups . “ The general public does not think eye care is important until they have a problem with their vision ,” said Focus Point Vision Care Group Sdn Bhd ( Focus Point ) Head of Training and Development Chia Jho Yan .
“ They do not go for periodic eye checks like they do to see their doctor for an annual full medical check-up or the dentist every six months for dental checks . There is still much to do to raise the awareness towards eyecare .”
She shared that World Sight Day ( WSD ) is a day for eye care practitioners to raise awareness towards eye care .
“ For 2023 , WSD raises awareness on eye care in the workplace . This is important to increase productivity at work .
“ Digital Eye Strain ( DES ) is on the rise and is a direction for Focus Point to create awareness on . We have been conducting numerous corporate sales talks in this area . It is a popular topic .”
CELEBRATING WORLD SIGHT DAY
“ Annually , we offer free Advanced Primary Eye Care ( APEC ) screenings during WSD . Last year , we managed to screen approximately 1,300 Midvalley Megamall and Midvalley Southkey patrons over 14 days .”
Chia shared that in conjunction with WSD this year , Focus Point has planned six large roadshows in major shopping malls to promote its effort .
“ We have completed four ( in Pavilion Bukit Jalil , One Utama , IOI City Mall and Sunway Pyramid ) and have two more in October .
“ The final two roadshows will be conducted in Midvalley Megamall and Midvalley Southkey for a week each . We have also delivered more than 10 Public Talks in areas of interest relating to the 360⁰ APEC eye checks .”
She said they had also incorporated their 360⁰ APEC eye checks routine into their corporate road shows during 2023 .
“ Apart from that , we are also having
several sessions of public talks that will be featured live on our Facebook page to raise awareness on crucial topics in eye care ,” she added .
Besides 360⁰ APEC , Focus Point ’ s CSR efforts include school project spectacle giveaways in collaboration with Lions Club , Rotary Club , and Rohto Eye Drops .
“ We are also part of the Amblyopia & Visual Impairment Screening ( AVIS ) by the Ministry of Health ( MoH ), where we give away spectacles to the needy ,” said Chia .
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ON EYE HEALTH AND EYE CARE
Focus Point is steadfast in educating the public on the importance of eye health and proper eye care , notably with its 360⁰ APEC .
“ The APEC started in Dec 2018 with a humble 20 outlets . In Feb 2023 , Focus Point decided to rebrand the APEC to 360⁰ APEC to make the public aware of our eye care efforts . It is a routine eye test that consists of beyond the eye power / refraction check .”
Through 360 ° APEC , Focus Point ’ s
Focus Point ’ s 2023 360⁰ APEC campaign launching ceremony at Pavilion Bukit Jalil .
360⁰ APEC ' s comprehensive eye check administered by Focus Point ' s optometrists .
Apart from that , J & J Vision Care also commits to educating our staff , especially our eye care practitioners .”
Chia Jho Yan optometrist will go through the following with patients :
• Eye health history
• Colour vision test
• Binocular vision test
• Refractive error evaluation
• Anterior eye assessment
• Eye pressure measurement
• Retinal screening
• Consultation session “ This aims to upgrade the standards of eye health in Malaysia . We hope to create a new benchmark for eye care in Malaysia in line with Focus Point ’ s mission and vision which focuses on excellence in service within the region .”
According to Chia , Focus Point has also been collaborating with J & J Vision Care on university roadshows , where Focus Point promotes its 360⁰ APEC check-up together with J & J Vision Care .
“ J & J Vision Care is one of Focus Point ’ s main contact lens sources . We support the brand as it manufactures quality contact lenses that are popular and well-known .
“ Apart from that , J & J Vision Care also commits to educating our staff , especially our eye care practitioners .” – The Health
From Left : Yemunasree Shanmuganathan , Chia Jho Yan , Winnie Goh Weng Yee and Khong Jia Yi .