Marking Lions World Sight Day with SightFirst projects

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The first Betong cataract camp patients with Dr Intan (back second right) and  Chioh (third left).

WORLD Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is a global event, originally initiated by the SightFirst Campaign of Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) to raise public awareness of blindness and vision impairment with governmental support.

Since 1988, Lions Clubs around the world have, on this day, been conducting sight-related projects like vision screenings, eyeglass and assistive device donations, restorative surgeries, and eye health education programmes for the visually impaired.

Lions Clubs International (LCI) partnered with blindness prevention organisations worldwide to commemorate the first World Sight Day (WSD) on Oct 8, 1998.

LCI integrates World Sight Day as a part of its SightFirst campaign and later into the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) Vision 2020 for the first time on Oct 12, 2000. LCI is an IAPB Category Group A member.

VISION 2020: The Right to Sight is a global initiative, launched in 1999 to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020 and has been adopted in over 40 countries.

WSD 2020 falls on Oct 8 with the theme ‘Hope In Sight’.

This year is LCI’s 103rd anniversary. LCI members have embarked on projects that prevent blindness, restore eyesight, improve eye health, and provide eye care to hundreds of millions worldwide.

Nearer home, Lions Clubs of Kuching Metro (LCKM) has also been working to improve sight and prevent blindness by providing treatment to those at risk of losing their vision.

Overwhelming response to the annual major health screening in Lubok Antu in 2003.

According to SightFirst programme coordinator Andrew Chioh, since1999, LCKM has been collaborating with the Ophthalmology, Dental and Medical Department of the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) to organise health screenings for eyes, diabetes, blood pressure, and body mass index (BMI).

The programmes have all been held outside Kuching in places like Siburan, Kampung Anah Rais, Kampung Sinjok, Kampung Stenggang, Lundu, Lubok Antu, Tarat, and Tapah.

 

LCKM members and volunteers during the first major health screening at the school hall of SJK Chung Hua Siburan.

First major screening

In 1999, LCKM organised its first major health screening at the school hall of SJK Chung Hua Siburan, Mile 17, Kuching-Serian Road.

A total of 87 people were screened – three were diagnosed with glaucoma.

A talk on varicose veins and haemorrhoids was also organised and attended by over 500 residents.

In 2005, the then-president Richard Lee Sea Nee led an entourage of 85 Lions and Leo members and Lions Friends to participate in a health screening at the Lubok Antu Civic Centre.

It was a record event for Lions Clubs District 308 – A2, drawing about 2,500 residents from Sri Aman, Betong, Engkilili, Debak, Spaoh and Pusa. Some came from as far as Sibu.

Chioh said the health screenings were for glaucoma, vision, dental care, diabetes, blood pressure, and BMI. A body fat and mini health exhibition was also organised.

 

KK1M is now known as Cataract Clinic of Ministry of Health Malaysia.

Record turnout

A record was created for glaucoma screening, led by Dr Intan Gudom, then State consultant-ophthalmologist and head of SGH Ophthalmology Department, when more than 250 patients were checked for the condition with the assistance of four medical personnel.

A total of 815 pairs of subsidised reading spectacles were distributed to qualified patients.

For dental screening, 250 patients were attended to by Dr Margaret Joneh from the Dental Department, Sri Aman Hospital, together with her 12 colleagues.

For diabetes and blood pressure readings, 500 people were screened while 675 turned up for body mass and body fat screenings by the medical personnel from Lubok Antu Polyclinic. Children were excluded from the count. The majority who turned up were above 40.

Chioh believed the overwhelming response was due to the radio talk by the late Datuk Dublin Unting Ingkot on the health screening, followed by broadcasts from Sri Aman RTM throughout the week.

In April 2012, LCKM was invited by Dr Intan to join the Lions Club of Kuching North and other NGOs in this cataract camp, organised by the SGH Ophthalmologist Department at Betong Hospital.

Dr Intan, who led the camp, was accompanied by Dr Yupar Aung and Dr Khiang Khiang Ka.

Intraocular lenses (IOLs) were sponsored for 27 cataract patients and one pterygium patient.

Chioh said LCKM got six IOLs, sponsored by the late Datuk Ting Ong Hua, a businessman. The cost of each IOL was RM485. LCKM managed to sponsor IOLs for 10 patients.

 

4K M launched

According to Chioh, Klinik Katarak Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia or 4K M (initially known as Klinik Katarak 1 Malaysia or KK1M), an outreach programme on cataract services, provided by SGH Ophthalmology Department, was launched on Sept 12, 2013. LCKM has been invited to participate.

Initially, the outreach programme used a KK1M bus on a trial basis for its cataract camp at Betong Hospital in August 2013.

Outstation patients were admitted a day before their operations.

According to the final figure, 31 patients who required 32 IOLs were sponsored by the then Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is now Deputy Chief Minister, Second Finance Minister, and Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development.

The first official call made by 4K M regarding its outreach programme on cataracts (including pterygium operations) was at Betong Hospital.

The operations, performed for more than two weeks, were a collaboration between 4K M, LCKM, and Uggah, who sponsored 36 IOLs for the same number of needy patients.

 

In line with vision

Chioh said LCKM’s SightFirst programme was in line with LCI’s vision to help ensure no one has to suffer from preventable, avoidable and reversible vision loss.

Towards this end, LKCM’s SightFirst programme initiatives are developed and continuously reviewed by experts in a key partnership with Uggah and 4K M.

This collaboration has been going on since August 2013 in an endeavour to develop sustainable solutions to eliminate needless blindness throughout Betong and the neighbouring divisions.

It is also the first to develop a system in this region that could serve as a model for providing affordable, continuous and self-sustaining eye care services to the community of Betong where blindness is prevalent.

The last three patients on the first day of the cataract camp in Betong early this year. Uggah is at front fourth left.

“All the programmes in Betong have been very successful due in part to continuous IOLs sponsorships from Datuk Amar Uggah,” Chioh said, adding that Uggah started sponsoring pterygium operations at the 12th Betong Cataract and Pterygium Camp.

Uggah has made his 13th consecutive IOLs sponsorship to 63 patients and his second for fibrin glue to 16 pterygium patients.

This is the sixth year of their collaboration or the 13th Betong Cataract and Pterygium Camp. The first cycle of preliminary eye screenings and cataract and pterygium operations were carried out in February.

The camp continues to be led by Dr Intan, who retired from his SGH post at the end of 2017.

Over the years, more people have come for cataract and pterygium screenings – a trend attributed to the dissemination of information by social media.

Most likely because of the geographic location, the majority of the patients are the Ibans and Malays from the surrounding areas. However, for the last few camps, some Chinese had also turned up.

Over the past six years or so, Uggah’s sponsorships have helped restore vision to a total of 635 cataracts patients (requiring 641 IOLs) and 31 pterygium patients.

Chioh revealed 4K M was continuously looking to deploy various strategies on eye healthcare to remote communities in a cost-effective manner, and one way to do this, he added, was by strengthening the existing service channels.

For the past six years, 4K M has been organising bi-annual scheduled free eye screenings one week before the cataract camps at hospitals in Lundu, Bau, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Saratok and Simumjan.

Chioh said 4K M and LCKM were now trying to reach out to more remote areas but were facing one challenge – ensuring the availability of eye specialists.

 

Outstation patients were admitted a day before their operation.

Camp rescheduled

Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 14th Betong Cataracts Camp, scheduled in July 2020, had to be postponed to next February.

On the implementation of the outreach programme, Chioh said credit was due to Dr Intan and also Dr Mohamad Aziz Salowi, an ophthalmologist.

“Both are responsible for the existence of 4K M.  They presented the concept to the National Ophthalmology Service of the Health Ministry in 2012.”

Besides Dr Mohamad, Malaysia’s 4K M coordinator, other personnel involved in the continued success of the outreach programme are ophthalmologists like Dr Chieng Lee Ling, state ophthalmologist of Sarawak, consultant ophthalmologist and head of Ophthalmology Department, Hospital Miri; Dr Ho Hao Chi, head of SGH Ophthalmology Department; and other volunteer ophthalmologists.

According to Chioh, most of the ophthalmologists from SGH and the private sector have been involved in eye screenings and operations as early as the beginning of 2000.

As their ophthalmic and surgical instruments and equipment are now old, he said they have either to be replaced or upgraded.

Last year, Uggah sponsored one Slit Lamp with Goldmann Applanation Tonometer and the transport casings for both items to 4K M.

Due to the pandemic, all Slit Lamps require additional specifications to be mounted with the equipment’s accessory called the Breath Shield.

Last month, Uggah sponsored 50 Slit Lamp Breath Shields for distribution to all government hospitals and polyclinics throughout Sarawak.

Chioh said they hoped to create greater awareness among the rural population of the many eye problems that could lead to blindness but are preventable or reversible.

This is especially so for cataracts and pterygium and as such, he added that the 4K M outreach programme had been extended to places like Lundu, Bau, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Saratok, and Simunjan.

“All the people have to do is to come forward.”

He pointed out that the 4K M programme needed highly integrated, sustainable, affordable, and equitable services.

“It requires concerted efforts, joint planning, and support to implement. Agents like the electronic or printed media are helpful in this drive. Government assistance is crucial and support from NGOs or individuals are most welcome.”

Post-operation screening patients with LCKM volunteers.

Chioh has expressed LCKM and the beneficiaries’ gratitude to sponsors like Uggah, the volunteers and other supporters for their valuable contributions.

“It shows there’s still goodness in humanity.”

He said some of the volunteers made their help available to a friend or co-worker or they made time every month to help out.

Although not conspicuous, their contributions and acts of kindness would, nonetheless, serve to further motivate and inspire all those involved in humanitarian service to the community.

“These volunteers, especially from the medical field, offer their expertise, time and energy out of a sincere wish to make this world a better place.

“The most heartfelt thing is that they expect nothing in return. All they ask for is cooperation in carrying out their work.”

At 84, Kinta Budol (front third left) was the oldest patient at the 13th Betong Cataract and Pterygium Camp early this year.

This annual WSD is an opportunity to become more aware and committed to ensuring the right to sight for all. Numerous events will be held throughout the world to mark this occasion.

For the Malaysia National World Sight Day 2020, LCKM has sponsored six educational videos in animation form (cartoon effects with voiceover) on the most common causes of preventable blindness in Malaysia like cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, progressive myopia, and untreated refractive error.

Having an awareness day will help raise awareness of what WSD is. Awareness is the key – the first step to action.

Working with a coalition of international, non-governmental and private organisations as well as the healthcare authorities of the respective countries means being aware that something is going on and getting to do something about it if need be.

Action and awareness go together. Without action, awareness will not serve its purpose.