Dr Noor Hisham: Prevalence of blindness is 1.2% of country's population

PUTRAJAYA: The prevalence of blindness in Malaysia is 1.2% of the population and among the main causes are cataract (58.6%), diabetic retinopathy (10.4%) and glaucoma (6.6%), says Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (pic).

He said this data was based on the 2014 National Eye Survey, and the main cause of limited vision was untreated cataracts and myopia.

"However, nearly 80% of the main causes of blindness can be treated and prevented," he said in a statement in conjunction with Thursday’s (Oct 13) World Sight Day 2022 which is themed 'Sayangi Mata Anda' (Love Your Eyes).

In relation to this, Dr Noor Hisham said the Health Ministry stresses that the public should focus on eye care and fight blindness as a global issue besides raising awareness on the importance of eye care in an individual, a family and community.

"Love your eyes by taking preventive measures to protect and maintain good vision by doing regular eye checks," he also said.

World Sight Day is an awareness day that is celebrated globally to make people aware of the importance of the sense of sight, eye health and the problem of blindness.

The initiative was started through the 'Sight First Campaign' by the Lions Club International Foundation in 2000, and was later integrated into 'Vision 2020: The Right to Sight' coordinated by the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO). - Bernama