PUTRAJAYA, Nov 17 — The results of the National Eye Survey III (NES III) conducted by the Health Ministry (MOH) found that 160,000 Malaysians aged 50 and above suffer from low vision, with eight per cent of them blind.
The NES III, conducted from July to October in the Eastern Zone involving Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Sarawak (Sarawak Zone), aims to study the prevalence of blindness and vision problems among Malaysians who are 50 and above.
Ophthalmologist (Public Health) Dr Mohamad Aziz Salowi, who is also a NES III researcher, said the prevalence of blindness in the Eastern Zone and Sarawak Zone dropped significantly compared to NES II in 2014 in the same zones.
“In NES III, six out of 1,000 Sarawak residents experienced blindness compared to 16 out of 1,000 residents in 2014,” he told the press after the NES III launching ceremony today.
For the Eastern Zone, eight out of 1,000 residents experienced blindness in NES III compared to 14 out of 1,000 people in 2014.
Dr Aziz said the main causes of blindness in both zones were cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
Earlier, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni, in his opening speech, said as of September this year, the number of cataract operations conducted in 49 specialist MOH hospitals was between 55,000 and 60,000 cases involving individuals aged 60 to 70 and above.
The MOH implemented the Health Ministry Cataract Clinic (KKMOH) in 2013 to systematically overcome the burden of cataract cases by creating Cataract Free Zones (projects) nationwide.
KKMOH is MOH’s innovation to improve the services in dealing with problems of blindness, especially caused by cataracts, and it provides access to eye examinations and treatment for people, especially those living in rural areas.
Cataracts occur when the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy and can be likened to a window partially covered with dirt. They occur due to the ageing process, eye injuries, certain diseases, or taking certain drugs.
— Bernama
