KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 – With cataract and glaucoma among the most common eye-related diseases that can lead to blindness if left untreated, education remains key to maintaining good eye health for quality of life.
In conjunction with World Sight Day in October, which is observed around the globe annually to promote awareness of blindness and vision impairment, the Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care (RSDH) group of hospitals, comprising ParkCity Medical Centre (PMC), Ara Damansara Medical Centre (ADMC), Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC), and Bukit Tinggi Medical Centre (BTMC), held several community service initiatives to remind Malaysians of the importance of taking care of their eyes.
“Of the five human senses, eyesight is possibly the most essential in our daily lives, facilitating mobility, education, and work productivity. Almost everyone will experience impaired vision or an eye condition during a lifetime,” said Peter Hong, Group Chief Executive Officer of RSDH.
“According to the National Eye Survey in 2014, 63,000 Malaysians were diagnosed as blind, with another 350,000 having limited vision. The good news is that at least 80 per cent of blindness or visual impairment cases are treatable. As we celebrate World Sight Day, the hospitals’ collective efforts will serve as a timely and necessary reminder to not neglect eye health,” he added.
Whether the cause was ageing, diabetes, or unhealthy lifestyle choices that can lead to eye diseases, the underlying message of the hospitals’ various activities for the public was early detection can help avoid complications.
A collaborative effort with Hospital Kuala Lumpur saw PMC performing nine free cataract surgeries on lower-income patients with deteriorating vision due to ageing and other factors. The patients aged between 50 to 80 are recovering well following the surgeries which were completed within a day by a team of specialists from PMC.
The PMC specialists also conducted health talks related to glaucoma, strabismus and dry eyes, while free eye check-ups for the public and activities focused on glaucoma, corneal, and paediatric ophthalmology.
ADMC took an edutainment-based approach to raise awareness about good eye health, by curating fun, thought-provoking activities that included an experiential booth, ‘Eye-Venture’. The hospital also continued its community engagement with Sekolah Kebangsaan Jalan U3 Subang Perdana, which had previously received a donation of refurbished laptops. This time around, students and teachers received free eye check-ups. In addition, 20 students and two teachers from Sekolah Kebangsaan Taman Bukit Subang also had a fun and educational day at ADMC.
With a carnival-like ambience, the hospital lobby was transformed into a lively, festive space with play and learn eye games as well as optical illusion activities and free eye check-ups for adults and children alike.
Over at BTMC, the eye check-ups will be provided as a community outreach initiative to Sri Narayani Foundation, a non-profit organisation that cares for the welfare of 60 children from B40 families. The hospital’s doctors will examine the children for poor vision problems that were impacting their learning ability and make arrangements for glasses to be made for those in need.
Additionally, BTMC will be launching their second round of corporate social responsibility initiative and will provide 30 cataract surgeries for B40 patients of varying ages in collaboration with the Rotary Club. This is the second year of collaboration between BTMC and the Rotary Club. Last year, BTMC successfully completed 30 cataract surgeries with positive outcome.
SJMC’s eye check-ups focused on vision testing, autorefraction and refraction, intraocular pressure, and fundus photo. Those with abnormalities discovered during the eye checks were provided with free eye consultation by specialists.
