Eye-opening insights focus of exhibition

(From left): Dasein Arts Academy academics head Ben Chan,Lee and Stevens at the launch of the exhibition.

“NEVER take your eyesight for granted.”

That is the message organisers of the Journey of Sight exhibition at The Weld Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur, want to impart.

The exhibition which ends today, is a collaboration between Dasein Academy of Arts and the Malaysian Glaucoma Society.

About 30 students from different programmes in the academy are taking part in the exhibition to create awareness of the issue.

Apart from the exhibition, there would be free talks, glaucoma tests and activities.

The Journey of Sight exhibition is aimed at opening the public’s eyes to vision loss.

During the launch of the exhibition, Malaysian Glaucoma Society founder Stevens Chan stressed the need for yearly eye checks.

For Stevens, it has been a long journey to create awareness about the issue ever since he lost his sight to glaucoma in 2007.

He said going for regular eye checks was the only way to prevent unnecessary blindness caused by glaucoma.

“We all know the importance of vision but many take it for granted and it’s often too late when the disorder strikes,” he said.

Stevens shared that there are close to 270 million visually impaired people in the world today.

He hopes the Journey of Sight exhibition will help increase the level of awareness about glaucoma, especially among youths.

“Our society will focus on serving the underprivileged and marginalised who are visually impaired or going through vision loss,” he said.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye who launched the exhibition, commended students for their efforts in promoting glaucoma awareness.

Lee shared that generally, there were no symptoms in the early stage and by the time one’s vision is affected, it would be too late.

Lee also encouraged the attendees to get their eyes checked at least twice a year.

“Glaucoma is a universal problem. By 2020, glaucoma would affect an estimated 80 million people, including 150,000 Malaysians.”

“I was made aware that there are an estimated 2,000 optometrists and 500 ophthalmologists serving the nation, which means there is one optometrist for every 15,000 Malaysians.

“This is worrying because glaucoma not only affects the elderly as many believe but also children, youth and middle-aged folk,” he said.

Lee added that he hoped the government would train more optometrists and ophthalmologists to serve in government hospitals to detect glaucoma at an early stage.

He also encouraged medical students to specialise in ophthalmology.

The exhibition is open from 10am to

6pm.