Mobile eye clinics next year

MoH taking eye care to the people

BRUNEI will take ophthalmology services to the public to a new level with the introduction of mobile eye clinics next year. The move comes on the heels of the community ophthalmology programme initiated to take eye care to the people by providing ophthalmology clinics at primary health centres.

Pehin Orang Kaya Perkerma Laila Diraja Dato Paduka Hj Awg Hazair bin Hj Abdullah, Acting Minister of Health, said this at the 3rd National Ophthalmology Symposium 2009, themed ‘Systemic Diseases and the Eye’, at Kiulap Plaza Hotel, yesterday.

Around 250 participants comprising medical officers, government officers and officials from the private sector attended the symposium.

Pehin Dato Hj Hazair said, “According to Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher, ‘The eye is the jewel of the body’, however, many lack the understanding and importance of a healthy eye sight in life. Despite the many advances in medical science, the number of people suffering from serious visual impairment is growing. Blindness is one of the most feared health threats in our society. In a society where visual communication is ever-increasing, visual loss has a devastating impact onphysical, social and emotional well-being and is also a major economic burden.

“According to World Health Organisation, there are about 135 million people who are visually impaired and 45 million people and 1.4 million children are blind throughout the world. Not only is the economic burden of global blindness high, but eye diseases such as cataracts, trachoma, glaucoma and onchocerciasis can result in death.

“Though the eye is only a small part of our body, diseases that occur in different areas of our body can have an effect on the eye.

“For example, diabetes mellitus can affect the eyesight by means of diabetic retinopathy, which can progress to blindness. In many cases, eye diseases, blindness and the resulting fatalities could have been prevented. Many studies have shown that blindness can be prevented if eye diseases can be detected earlier through screening,” said the acting minister.

“It is heartening to note the work done by the Ophthalmology Department of RIPAS Hospital. Last year, 67,127 outpatients were treated, 1,083 surgeries and 679 laser procedures were performed. With the improvement in the quality of eye services and the provision of the latest state-of-the-art equipment, the Ophthalmology Department is now providing subspecialty clinics such as retina clinic, glaucoma clinic and anterior segment clinic which are immensely benefiting the patients.

“The Ophthalmology Department is also the first medical speciality to provide speciality services in all four districts,” he added.

“Nowadays, diagnosis, management of illness and patient care require a holistic approach. It is becoming increasingly clear that no single professional group can meet the patients’ needs in a complex, fast paced and demanding environment of health care delivery. Multidisciplinary teamwork is about making the most of different skills to meet patients’ needs and creating satisfying and supportive working groups.

“An ophthalmologist may need to depend on the radiologist for information regarding orbital fractures or a foreign body inside the eye. The paediatrician needs the ophthalmologist for management of retinopathy in a premature baby. With a multidisciplinary approach to clinical management, an accurate diagnosis can be achieved promptly with immediate formulation and implementation of a health care plan.

“It is therefore important to update the health care professionals’ knowledge and understanding of the relationship between the different systemic diseases and the eye,” he added.

The forum was divided into four sessions. Dato SLJ Dr Mohammad Arif Abdullah chaired the first session with topics on the Problem of Diabetic Blindness, Thyroid and the Eye, Pituitary Neoplasms and their Ocular Manifestations, Primary Ocular Malignancies, and Ocular Manifestation of Systemic Malignancies.

Dato Paduka Dr Damuel Yapp Kai San chaired the second session with topics on the Demyelinating
Diseases and the Eye, Atypical Optic Neuritis, Traumatic Optic Neurophaty, Orbital Complications of Sinusitis, Orbital Fractures, and Role of Radiology in Ophthalmic Diagnosis.

Dr P U Telisinghe and Dr Yew Tick Guan chaired the third and fourth sessions respectively with the symposium topics on Ocular Surface Infections, Retinal Infections, Non-Infectious Blood Disorders and its Ocular Effects, Atopic Conditions and the Eye, Metabolic Problems and their Eye Changes and Retinopathy of Prematurity.

The symposium brought together health care professionals of different specialities with the objective of improving multidisciplinary cooperation, coordination, communication and teamwork with the new Ministry of Health’s Vision 2035 to improve the quality of health care through a comprehensive health care system that emphasises on service excellence.

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