The 2023 National Health Survey put the prevalence of vision disability in the population aged above one at 0.4 percent, acting director general of disease prevention and control at the ministry, Yudi Pramono, said in a broadcast here on Monday.
"And the use of vision aids among people above 1 year old in Indonesia is 11.9 percent," Pramono informed.
As per the 2019 World Report on Vision, 2.2 billion people face vision issues, and for one billion of them, the issues are preventable or treatable.
"Some 65 million kids worldwide are nearsighted, or have myopia, and (their number) is predicted to go up to 275 million in 2050," he highlighted.
If left untreated, refraction issues can worsen to cause blindness, he cautioned. This can affect life quality and health, and worse, become a burden on the economy and state, he added.
For children, healthy vision is an asset that can help them study well and make achievements, Pramono opined. He said that by giving glasses to kids who need it, study-related difficulties can be reduced by up to 44 percent.
Blindness in kids is caused by many things, he said. Other than refraction problems, cataracts and glaucoma can also lead to loss of sight. It is estimated that 5–20 percent of blindness in kids is caused by cataracts.
Additionally, he noted, at least 20 thousand to 40 thousand children are born with congenital cataracts.
Pramono said that efforts to address vision issues must emphasize a preventive and promotive approach, such as controlling risk factors, early detection or screening, and expediting public access to comprehensive health services.
"It is also inseparable from curative-rehabilitative approaches, which support the program," he added.
To mark World Sight Day 2024 on October 10, the ministry is urging stakeholders to pay attention to eye health. Pramono's administration is also encouraging people to raise awareness about the issue and conduct checkups to ensure eye health.
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Reporter: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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