The Indonesian Association of Optometric Professionals (IROPIN) said that cases of vision problems in school-age children have increased, allegedly due to the high frequency of using gadgets during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Secretary of IROPIN Kastam in Yogyakarta, Friday evening, September 23 2023, said that the trend of increasing visual impairment in children due to refractive errors was indicated by the results of screening carried out by the organization in 2023 in a number of areas.
“In the data collection process, very significant factors were found, especially in the last two years after the pandemic. Maybe because in the distance education program every day our children are in front of gadgets. “This really triggers an increase in refractive disorders,” he said.
IROPIN General Chair Nova Joko Pamungkas explained that based on temporary data collection in 2023, out of an average of 1,000 children who took part in the screening, 350 to 400 children were indicated to have vision problems due to refraction and therefore needed glasses.
This data collection continues to be carried out during the 50,000 glasses frame assistance program by IROPIN in 2023 which has been recognized by the Indonesian Museum of World Records (MURI). “Until now, 17,000 glass frames have been distributed,” he said.
Although data collection is still ongoing, Nova added that the percentage of visual impairment due to refractive errors in school-age children reaches 35 to 40 percent. This data has experienced a significant increase compared to the results of Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) in 2012 which recorded a prevalence of 24.7 percent.
Pressing the case
The results of the data collection, Nova added, will later be submitted to the Ministry of Health’s Data and Information Center (Pusdatin) as a policy reference for suppressing these cases.
According to him, many school teachers and parents in Indonesia are late in detecting vision problems in children. Optometrists, numbering up to 6,000 people in Indonesia, are ready to collaborate with the government to carry out early detection of vision problems in children.
“We hope it can be detected from the start so that children who experience refractive errors do not experience blindness. “This also helps children develop their academic potential,” said Nova.
