Early Detection of “The Thief of Sight”

(UKWMS – 10/25/2019) – The Cataract and Glaucoma Counseling and Screening event for the lecturers and staff of Widya Mandala Surabaya Catholic University (WMSCU) was held on Friday, 25 October, 2019, at the WMSCU Benedict Auditorium in the Dinoyo campus. Previously, this inspection was held at the WMSCU Pakuwon City campus on Friday, 18 October, 2019. This examination was held to commemorate the 59th anniversary of WMSCU and also to commemorate the World Sight Day which is commemorated every Thursday on the second week of October.
That afternoon, the activity began with a counseling regarding the depiction of glaucoma. Dr. Titiek Ernawati, dr., Sp.M., was the speaker for the counseling. She is also a Lecturer at the WMSCU’s Faculty of Medicine. She explained that glaucoma or commonly known as “The Thief of Vision” is a chronic optic neuropathy affecting the optic disc lobes, which causes a narrowing of the visual field. Glaucoma is usually accompanied by increased eye pressure that can decrease the function of eyes (visual field defects) and cause anatomic damage (optic nerve papillary degeneration) and even blindness.

Glaucoma sufferers around the world in 2010 reached 60.5 million people, and the number continues to increase. In fact, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world after cataracts and glaucoma is also permanent. In developing countries, 90% of sufferers do not realize that they are suffering from glaucoma. Even about 20% of those who go through the correct implementation therapy still experience vision loss. “In Indonesia, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness after cataracts. Four to five of a thousand people in Indonesia suffer from glaucoma. Therefore, this examination is expected to increase awareness of the importance of maintaining eye health,” said Dr. Titiek.
After the counseling, the lecturers and staff who had previously received a queue number were waiting to be examined by a team of doctors from the Faculty of Medicine. There were 20 doctors on duty to help 150 examinees. In the first stage, participants were tested their visual acuity normally using Snellen Test Chart. Then participants did a tonometry test or eyeball pressure. This intraocular pressure measurement was to recognize the presence of glaucoma, a condition that damages the optic nerve. This examination was carried out using a non-contact tonometry tool. The last examination was a funduscopic or ophthaloscopic test using an ophthalmoscope to examine the inside and back of the eye including the optic disc, retina and blood vessels.