SEPTEMBER, 2019 | The HEALTH
EYE HEALTH
27
One in 10
children in
Malaysia have
undiagnosed
vision
problems
Eye care and
vision screening
accessible to all
AMO collaborating with seven universities to create
better eye care awareness
T
HE Association of Malaysian
Optometrists (AMO), the
organisational body representing
all Malaysian optometrists, have
launched the annual National
Eye Health Awareness (NEHA)
campaign recently.
NEHA is an initiative by AMO set to be a
part of World Sight Day in October, lauded by
the Malaysian Optical Council (MOC) to pro-
mote and create awareness on the importance
of eye health amongst the general public.
Eye care for all
Since the inaugural campaign in 2016,
AMO’s NEHA programmes have informed
Malaysians on the importance of eye health.
Th is year’s campaign, ‘Eyecare for All’, looks
to remind Malaysians that eye health is more
than good vision; it is also crucial to undergo
regular check-ups to prevent damage or
disease. In the National Eye Health Survey
held by the Ministry of Health in 2014, 58 per
cent of total blindness in Malaysia is caused
by cataracts, followed closely by diabetic
retinopathy and glaucoma.
“Although Malaysians are becoming
Ribbon Cutting
Ceremony by Event
VIPs and Ahmad
Fadhullah Fuzai,
Organising Chair
for NEHA and Vice
President of AMO (7th
from the left), Dato
Dr Khalid Yusoff , Vice
Chancellor, President
of UCSI University
and Academic Senior
Professor (8th from
the left) and Woon
Pak Seong, President
of AMO (9th from the
left).
increasingly health-conscious, many fail to
take eye health into account. Your eyes are
one of the most important parts of your body.
We need good vision for every aspect of our
lives and yet, not many of us go for regular eye
check-ups. Th is year, NEHA aims to continue
the efforts by increasing awareness and
creating conversations around eye health,”
said Woon Pak Seong, the President of AMO.
Enhancing eye care
through collaborations
Th is year, AMO will be collaborating with
seven universities throughout the Klang
Valley to conduct complimentary eye screen-
ing tests for orphans and senior citizens from
the B40 community. On top of the screenings,
the campaign aims to provide complimentary
prescription glasses to people in the B40 and
underprivileged community in Malaysia,
ensuring that they have access to proper eye
care.
Th e universities involved are UCSI Univer-
sity, National University of Malaysia (UKM),
National Institute of Ophthalmic Sciences
(NIOS), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UITM),
International Islamic University Malaysia
NEHA aims to provide
complementary
prescription glasses
to people in the B40
and underprivileged
community in Malaysia,
ensuring that they
have access to proper
eye care.
THE Segamat Paediatric Eye Disease
Study, conducted in 2016 and led by
the Health Ministry and South-East
Asia Community Observatory under
Monash University Malaysia, found
that one in 10 children in Malaysia had
an undiagnosed vision problem that
could lead to chronic headaches and
learning diffi culties.
The study involved children from 51
kindergartens, aged four to six, who
went through an eye screening test
consisting of LogMAR (chart with rows
of letters used to estimate visual acuity),
ocular motility examination and spot
vision screener assessment. According
to a study which involved 1,287
children, 12.5 percent (161 children) of
them suffer from visual impairment, and
61 percent of the 161 children have
bilateral visual impairment.
These are indeed worrying fi gures as
being able to see clearly is important for
a child’s overall development and helps
them to discover and learn about their
world. The study also found that if left
untreated, it could lead to permanent
visual impairment and even blindness.
One of the prevalent impairment that
children face is the amblyopia or
commonly known as lazy eye.
Therefore, it is essential for
campaigns like National Eye Health
Awareness (NEHA) to be launched in
order to ensure everyone in Malaysia
has access to proper eye care.
— The Health
(IIUM), SEGi University and Management
and Science University (MSU). Amblyopia
and Visual Impairment Screening (AVIS) at
the Ministry of Health will also be joining
this initiative. A total of 1,000 patients are
expected to benefi t from the 4-month cam-
paign, with the fi nal round of screening held
by October 2019.
Platinum Sponsors, Johnson & Johnson
Vision Care and Essilor Malaysia Sdn Bhd
were appreciated for making NEHA 2019 pos-
sible. By launching NEHA 2019, AMO hopes
that Malaysians will become more wary of the
importance of regular eye check-ups and be
more aware of the common eye diseases and
conditions that could befall them as well as
steps for prevention. — Th e Health