75 Percent Preventable Blindness

75 Percent Preventable Blindness

JAKARTA, HEALTH BLOG - About 75 percent of blindness can be prevented and treated. Only, the introduction and early detection of eye disorders often overlooked issue.

It was revealed in a sense of vision health workshop themed "Healthy Eyes at Every Age for Improving the Quality of Community Life Indonesia", Thursday (11/10/2012) in Jakarta. The event was held to commemorate World Sight Day (World Sight Day) is celebrated every Thursday the second week in October.
Director of Primary Health Efforts Ministry of Health, Smith Kuswenda, said there are four issues a priority since the eye leading to blindness ie cataract, refractive disorders, glaucoma, and xeroftalmia. Most of the blindness caused by disturbances of the eye that can be prevented, slowed, and vision rehabilitation if dealt with as soon as possible.
"Blindness due to cataract, for example, can be treated with cataract surgery," said Dedi.

Likewise xeroftalmia namely vitamin A deficiency diseases that can be prevented with vitamin A needs and vision correction refractive disorders using glasses. Meanwhile, in glaucoma, treatment can lead to permanent blindness late or can no longer be corrected.

One speaker, an ophthalmologist from RSUPN Ciptomangunkusumo, Virna Oktariana Dwi said the treatment as soon as possible with medication, laser, and surgery in cases of glaucoma (increased pressure in the eyeball) can prevent further damage.

However, sometimes patients with disorders of the eye late causing permanent blindness. Glaucoma is caused among others by trauma, eye inflammation, drugs containing steroids, cataracts hipermatur, and complications of systemic disease.
Only, most of the people of Indonesia who are blind lack of information, fear of having medical treatment, or difficulty accessing health facilities due to geographic or economic hardship.
This year, WHO does not set a specific theme, each country free to choose the theme each according deng's major issues concerning eye health to be appointed by the country. World Sight Day diperingatinya goal is to increase the public awareness that visual impairment and blindness can be prevented, treated, and rehabilitated. In addition, the warning was aimed to advocate policy makers from central to local governments to issue to the attention of racing aan.
source: kompas.com
Editor: Asep Candra