Asia-Pacific: 9th Eye Care Week

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In conjunction with World Sight Day (WSD) on Oct. 10, a program in Malaysia was held to promote eye care and vision rehabilitation to the public. A variety of interesting activities was provided, including a health talk on the use of smart full lenses and healthy cooking demos. The Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia and Minister of Health of Malaysia also made their presence.

With the suggested themes of meibomian gland dysfunction and age-related macular degeneration this year, a total of six member societies have shown their active participation. Here is a summary of the activities organized.

Throughout the week, the Ophthalmological Society of Bangladesh organized various events. These included a seminar at Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujib Medical University on AMD and MGD for junior doctors, residents and postgraduate students.

Additionally, free cataract surgery camps and free screening programs were offered at the Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, and the Velemegna Eye Hospital in India. The camps and programs conducted screening for a total of 70 patients and operated 15 patients free of cost.

To echo Eye Care Week and WSD, the College of Ophthalmologists of Sri Lanka chose to create public awareness on eye care through a public walk and invited their Minister of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine to take part. An optical lab was also opened in Colombo and gave free spectacles to the needy.

More interesting activities could be observed in Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong. In Chinese Taipei, a press conference was held to address the addiction of people to watching videos on 3C devices and earned nearly 300 pieces of media coverage. By leveraging the influence of celebrities, the Ophthalmological Society of Chinese Taipei invited 11 local artists to design eye care T-shirts and share them on their social media. Two online quizzes were also launched to remind the public of the importance of eye care. More than 20,000 participants engaged in the quizzes, which was a brilliant result achieved.