Blindness prevalence fell substantially in two Malaysian regions since 2014
A 2023 population-based national survey by Salowi et al. assessed the prevalence of blindness and severe visual impairment in 9,709 adults aged 50 years and above in Sarawak and Eastern regions of Malaysia.
Key Findings:
- Compared with 2014, the prevalence of blindness declined from 1.6% to 0.6% in Sarawak and from 1.4% to 0.8% in Eastern region, while severe visual impairment also decreased in both regions.
- Untreated cataract remained the leading cause of blindness, accounting for 75.0% of blinding cases in Sarawak and 77.3% in Eastern region.
- Diabetic retinopathy was the second leading cause of blindness in Eastern region (9.1%), while other posterior segment disease ranked second in Sarawak (9.4%).
- The findings highlight the need to sustain community-based cataract services while strengthening screening and management of diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases at underserved communities.
Reference: Salowi MA, Naing NN, Mustafa N, Nawang WRW, Sharudin SN, Ngah NF. Prevalence of visual impairment and its causes in adults aged 50 years and older: Estimates from the National Eye Surveys in Malaysia. PLoS One. 2024;19(10):1-14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0299768
