YOGYAKARTA- Cases of myopia (nearsightedness) among junior highschool students in the Province of Yogyakarta Special Region turned out to be high. Initial research conducted by opthalmologists from Faculty of Medicine of Universitas Gadjah Mada showed that around 26% (167 of 627 students) of junior highschools in the province have myopia.
“Research finding in some junior highschools in Yogyakarta, Sleman and Kulon Progo emerged to be high, which is 26%,” said dr. Agung Nugroho from Opthalmology of the Faculty of Medicine alongside the event to mark the World Sight Day 2012 in the Faculty on Thursday (11/1).
Agung added that the research findings with pattern distribution (urban) amounts to 47,8% (54 of 113 students), sub-urban ranging between 22,2% (61 of 275 students) and 30,4% (35 of 115 students) and rural area amounts to 13,7% (17 of 124 students).
According to Agung, the cause of the high case is, among others, hereditary, reading at a short distance or in the dark, etc.
“This habit should be changed, particularly for our children,” he explained.
dr. Siti Sundari, SpM, M.Kes, Chairman of Opthalmologist Association of the Province said that she was concerned with the myopia case suffered by students. She is also concerned that the blindness rate in Indonesia is still high. One of the srious efforts in eradicating the blindess is being initiated with the establishment of blindness eradication committee.
“The idea to eradicate blindness is for each region to have the eradication committee,” Siti added.
Meanwhile, dr. Agus Supartoto, Sp.M.(K)., Head of Opthalmology Unit of the Faculty-Dr. Sardjito General Hospital, added that cataract has the highest number of patients treated there, followed by glaucoma, refractive error, and retina problem.
“We have given free surgery for cataract patients,” Agus said.
In the same place, Head of Cataract Eradication Section in the Association, Prof. dr. Suhardjo, SU, SpM(K), said cataract is still the main cause of blindness. Globally, refractive error which is not corrected optimally is the main cause of sight problem, but in the poor-medium countries, cataract is still the main cause for blindness.
“In developed countries, cataract patients are mostly 80 years old. In Indonesia, starting at 50 years old, people already suffer from cataract. Usually, they are smokers or those with high sugar blood level,” Suhardjo said.