Pehin Dato Awg Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Minister of Health
Bandar Seri Begawan – As Brunei has seen a significant number of patients going over to the Department of Ophthalmology for glaucoma, the Ministry of Health is in the process of providing full ophthalmic services at Primary Health Centres across the country to screen all patients for eye diseases that cause blindness.
Pehin Dato Awg Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Minister of Health, during the launching of Brunei Darussalam’s World Glaucoma Day 2009, said according to the Department of Ophthalmology at the R I PAS Hospital, glaucoma is the third leading cause of blindness in Brunei.
Brunei is a signatory to the World Health Organisation’s Vision 2020 initiative, a global campaign to eliminate ‘preventable’ blindness from any cause by the year 2020.
“To date, the Department of Ophthalmology has managed to register over 200 glaucoma patients in their clinic during their first three months of registration. Cataract, however, has been
eliminated as a cause of blindness in Brunei today, while a nationwide system is in place for the screening and treatment of diabetic retinopathy,” said the minister.
Glaucoma and its potential consequences can create a tremendous economic burden for the nation, said the minister adding, therefore, early detection is necessary to prevent severe visual handicap or blindness.
Pehin Suyoi announced the formation of a glaucoma sub-unit and the newly started glaucoma-screening programme, which aims to identify people with glaucoma at an early stage and eventually prevent them from going blind.
“The Sultanate stands among a few nations where the Vision 2020 initiatives are being fully implemented with noticeable successes. We are now in the process of providing full ophthalmic services at Primary Health Centres across the country, screening all patients for eye diseases that cause blindness and the provision of primary eye care at the grass-root levels.
“A mobile eye clinic is also in the pipeline for later this year to supplement the eye services. This has been made possible by the kind support of NGOs. These preventive ophthalmology measures will reduce the incidence of blindness in Brunei with early diagnosis and referral for treatment,” added the minister.
Pehin Suyoi stressed that the public needs help to recognise the symptoms of glaucoma, such as among others, recurrent blurry vision or rapid loss of vision, pain around the eyes after watching television or leaving a dark theatre, seeing rainbow-hued halos, decrease in side vision and difficulties in obtaining correct eye glass prescription, etc.
“As a general rule, we need our eyes examined every two years if we are between 18 and 60, and every year if we are over 60 or we have one or more risk factors, such as being obese or having high blood pressure.
“The World Glaucoma Association has set a goal of reducing the undiagnosed rate of glaucoma from 50 per cent to ‘no more than 20 per cent by 2020′. This goal is attainable if we work together to increase awareness of glaucoma both among the public as well as among healthcare providers.
“We also need to ensure that quality eye examinations are available and performed by all eye care professionals in the county. This is a challenge for our ophthalmology service. I am sure, with their hard work and dedication, this challenge can be met successfully, God willing,” concluded the minister.
As a global initiative to create awareness on the disease, the World Glaucoma Association in collaboration with the World Glaucoma Patient Association, during the first World Glaucoma Day on March 6. last year announced that the event will take place annually on March 12, but was marked only yesterday in Brunei.
Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide second to cataract. It is estimated that 4.5 million people globally are blind due to glaucoma and the number will increase to 11.2 million by 2020.
Fifty per cent of glaucoma remains undiagnosed and at least 10 per cent of the people are blind in one eye at the time of diagnosis. It is commonly seen after 40 years of age and the chance of getting the disease increases with advancing, age. — Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin
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