PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has urged public and private universities to offer more places for students to study optometry, in an effort to produce more optometrists thereby improve eye health services in the country.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam said as of July this year, there were 1,502 optometrists across the country, 295 of them employed with the ministry at 42 specialist hospitals, 30 at non-specialist hospitals and two at health clinics.
He said the ratio for optometrist per population in the country was 1:22,460, compared to 1:8,000 in developed countries.
“It is important that we increase the number of optometrists to assist ophthalmologists in an effort to improve the quality of eye health services in the country,” he said after opening the 2nd Ministry of Health Optometry Scientific Conference here yesterday.
Some 200 optometrists attended the two-day conference themed ‘Optometry, Evolution Towards New Challenges’, which ended yesterday.
Optometry is an eye health science field which adopts a scientific approach in treating refractive abnormalities and visual function.
Besides additional placements in public and private universities, Dr Subramaniam said it was important to raise awareness among students that the field offers a bright future.
“Nowadays many are interested to be doctors. Students should be exposed to the field of optometry as an alternative choice,” he said.
Dr Subramaniam also urged Malaysians to go for eye health screening at least once a year for early detection of eye diseases so as to reduce the risk of blindness.
Meanwhile, Optometry Scientific Conference chairman Nor’aini Anuar urged the government to increase its allocation for the purchase of optometry equipment in ensuring optometry services could keep up with the rapid development in ophthalmology.
She hoped the ministry would increase optometry positions not only at specialist hospitals but also at non-specialist hospitals and selected health clinics to make optometry services easily accessible to Malaysians in preventing blindness among the community. — Bernama