Every year, the World Glaucoma Day is held in the second week of March with the aim of raising public awareness on glaucoma. Last year the Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru, organised such an event at the local police headquarters where they screened 250 policemen and women. And, on World Sight Day in October, they helped to screen 1681 of the general public at an event held at Persada Johor.
This year, the Opthalmology Department, with the support of the National Committee for community services Malaysian Red Crescent, arranged for World Glaucoma Day to be held at the Fire Department Headquarters (Ibu Penjabat Bomba Johor) at Jalan Kangkar Tebrau, where firemen and women would receive free screening and advice. Afterall, our firefighters are too busy saving lives so someone needs to look out for them!
These firefighters proudly wear a badge which says “Sedia Menyelamat” or “Ready to Rescue”, so when events overtake them, their personal health takes a lower priority. In early March firefighters, such as Saifulbahri Bin Safar (Senior Assistant Fire Superintendant), found themselves involved in managing the consequences of an illegal dangerous chemical spill in Sungai Kim Kim, Pasir Gudang.
Members of the Malaysian Red Crescent were also active in helping those thousands of Johorians caught up in this disaster. So, World Glaucoma Day had to be postponed until today and I had the privelege of attending this event in support of the Malaysian Red Crescent. Hopefully, this account will serve to highlight the activities of the unsung heroes of Johor, and encourage everyone to consider how best to look after their own health.
In a 2014 survey of the Southern Region of Malaysia (Johor and Melaka), the main causes of blindness were cataracts (60.0%), glaucoma (18.2%), and diabetic retinopathy (4.5%). So, early detection and treatment of glaucoma and diabetes greatly reduces the incidence of blindness.
Dr. Francesca Martina Vendargon (Head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Bahru) and her team put together an entertaining and informative presentation for the firefighters. First, we watched a short musical video of her staff encouraging people to come for testing (at least I think that was the message as it was all in Malay). This was followed by a role-playing event where an elderly couple had a consultation with a doctor. This skit produced much laughter from an attentive audience and led to no shortage of volunteers to come and have their eyes tested.
Since diabetes can lead to blindness, the eye checks were supplemented with testing of blood glucose and blood pressure. And, participants were encouraged to think about the anatomy of their eyes by competing in a drawing contest; they had to draw from a model of the optic nerve at the back of the eye. I was quite surprised by the queue to take part in this learning activity!
As I was leaving the event, Dr. Vendargon asked if I had had my eyes tested recently? Since I had not, she insisted that I should not leave without getting tested. I am pleased to report that I passed (!), and that it was all quite painless. So, if you are over 40, it is recommended that you have your eyes tested regularly for glaucoma.
On World Sight Day here in Johor Bahru, of the 1484 people tested, 7.7% were found to have glaucoma, so clearly this screening process is extremely valuable at helping prevent unnecessary blindness.
Companies involved in work corporate social responsiblity schemes were valued participants in this event.
And, as this was an official event, I would like to introduce you to some of the guests. On arriving at the location, Dr. Selahuddeen bin Abdul Aziz, Johor State Director and Public Health Specialist, was greeted by Dato’ Haji Yahaya bin Haji Madis (Director, Fire and Rescue Department, Johor), in the presence of Dr. Aman bin Rabu (Director, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru) and Dr. Francesca Martina Vendargon (Chairman, Department of Opthalmology, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru).
And the fifth VIP was Dato’ Haji Mohd Rashidi bin Haji Mohd Noor (Head, Malaysian Red Crescent), seen here collecting a certificate.
After this, there was a brief press conference with tv and press media present.
Finally, some images of the Fire Department Headquarters, in traditional red and white, and the welcoming mascots encountered on entering the building.
Click here to see more about the activities of the Malaysian Red Crescent.
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