World Sight Day, Low Vision Persons’ Extra Efforts to Maintain Vision

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – World Sight Day takes place every Thursday in the second week of October. In his warning, the World Health Organization or WHO always reminds everyone to love and care for their eyes so they don’t lose sight.

One of the groups in situations that are most vulnerable to experiencing total vision loss are people with visual impairments or commonly called people with low vision. In this group, an individual can still see even though the image caught by the eye is very blurry. Low Vision individual vision levels and causes vary.

A Low Vision individual from Magelang, Central Java, Hendri Hernowo said he had retinitis pigmentosa for which there was no cure. “If it’s described, what I see looks like it has pigment and continues to grow to cover the retina,” said Hendri when contacted by Tempo, Thursday, October 14, 2021.

Because vision is in a very vulnerable condition, Low Vision individuals take extra eye protection and care. Not only undergoing medical advice and regular checkups, Low Vision individuals have unique ways that are sometimes unthinkable for people with clear vision.

“The main way and done by almost all Low Vision sufferers is to avoid exposure sinar ultraviolet which is directly about the eyes, “said Henri. In order not to be exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays, Hendri protected his eyes by wearing a hat.

Hendri also chose a shady pedestrian path when he had to walk. He also reduces a lot of outdoor activities or is in a room that is too bright, Hendri also avoids changing conditions from light to dark or vice versa that are too extreme, for example by not going in and out of buildings too often.

Meanwhile, Cintya Cempaka, who suffers from Low Vision due to a Cerebral Aneurysm, chooses not to be exposed to light from a computer screen or cell phone too often. This mother of one child dims the contrast of her cellphone or laptop, until the lighting is only 10 percent.

“I choose to use a screen reader application when I have to operate a computer or cellphone,” he said. “It’s better to just use my voice and I try not to overwork the eyes.”

A cerebral aneurysm is a disorder of the blood vessels near the cerebellum. If eye Exposure to any light that is too bright or sharp can cause headaches ranging from mild to severe. great. “It was like there were fireflies and I once fainted,” he said.

Cintya also avoids reading books or documents with small writing. If he has to work on non-digital archives, he always uses a magnifying glass to read his writing. Sometimes he asked to be read or scanned the document, then studied it through the screen reader on the laptop.

“In the end I rarely read books literally,” says Cintya. However, now many digital books are available in audio form or can understand their contents through screen reader applications.

Hendri and Cintya also take supplements for eye health. The doctor advised Hendri to regularly take vitamin A to prevent retinal degradation. Meanwhile, Cintya is taking a supplement called Super Vision.

For people with Low Vision, treating eyesight through certain habits is much more effective than taking supplements for the eyes. “Indeed, in the end, many reduce certain activities and lead a more limited life. But this must be faced, at least so that vision does not decrease much,” said Cintya.

The function of the eyes for people with Low Vision is mostly used for mobility, such as seeing the road or recognizing people. Activities that put a greater burden on the eyes, such as reading, identifying small objects, or seeing far away are no longer carried out. With limited eye function, Low Vision individuals can be classified as people with visual impairments, although visually, their eye shape is no different from non-disabled people.

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