Workshop Title:

Refresher Course on Detection and Management of Diabetic Retinopathy among Diabetes Patients

Date:

August 11th, 2023 (GMT+8)

Organizer:

School of Optometry, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, UCSI University

Keywords:

• Diabetic Retinopathy
• Diabetes
• Detection

Workshop Chair:

Personal Bio:

Prakash is a senior lecturer and clinical optometrist at UCSI University who is involved in teaching for Optometry undergraduate program. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Optometry degree from The Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital (THONEH) in collaboration with the prestigious Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani, India. Upon completion of his degree, he served as a clinical optometrist at the same hospital. He has also obtained a Master of Health Sciences in Clinical Optometry from The National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia-UKM). During his Masters, he was attached to the Ophthalmology Department of Hospital Selayang and Hospital Sungai Buloh. He was exposed to many ocular clinical cases, and he was trained in various optometric management. Thereafter, Prakash continued with Ph.D. in Optometry at The National University of Malaysia. His Ph.D. research focuses on early biomarkers of diabetic retinopathy and how diabetes affects the eyes. He is also active in various research at the moment involving diabetic retinopathy and clinical optometry areas. Prakash currently holds a few internal research grants at the university where he is working. Prakash is also an active member of the Association of Malaysian Optometrists (AMO) for several years. He currently serves as the Honorary Secretary for AMO.

Workshop Committee Members:

Mr. Madhavendra Bhandari, Optometry Lecturer, madhavendra@ucsiuniversity.edu.my

Workshop Description:

Background:

This refresher workshop will enhance the knowledge of the fellow Optometry interns on Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy. They will be introduced to the Epidemiology of the disease, Classification and grading of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). These skills will ensure the proper and timely detection of DR. The participants will be trained and exposed to various DR grading systems. They will also be exposed to managing the DR condition and making appropriate referrals to Ophthalmologists if required. By attending this refresher course, the competency of young optometrists in detecting and handling DR cases within the community will be improved. This is in line with the goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Goal/Rationale:

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is the commonest and earliest microvascular change in Diabetes. DR remains the leading cause of acquired vision loss among working middle- aged people.

Visual loss in many cases of DR can be prevented by early detection of the condition through screening which makes early treatment possible. This is because the late presentation of patients with DR continues to be a major challenge in prevention and alleviation of blindness. It has to be emphasized that DR is an asymptomatic condition in its early stage, when it is most easily to be treated. This suggests that screening for DR should be done in all patients with DM.

Thus, young Optometrists need to be trained and equipped with proper knowledge of detecting and managing DR cases within the community. This will help in the early detection of DR, hence helps us prevent vision loss among diabetic patients.

Scope and Information for Participants:

To empower and enhance the knowledge and skills of Optometrists in Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). This will make them more competent in detecting DR among diabetic patients. The participants will be more confident in examining the patient's eyes in an appropriate manner and grade DR according to various established DR grading systems used internationally. The participants of the workshop will also be exposed to how to manage various types of DR cases and make a timely referral to Ophthalmologists and physicians if required. This is important in the early detection and treatment of DR, which in turn could help in preventing avoidable blindness among diabetes patients.

Highlights:

This workshop was held on last 11 th August 2023 at UCSI University and was attended by about 15 Optometry interns. This workshop enhanced the knowledge of fellow Optometry interns on Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy. They were introduced to the Epidemiology of the disease, Classification, and grading of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). These skills will ensure the proper and timely detection of DR. The participants were trained and exposed to various DR grading systems. They were also exposed to managing various DR conditions and making appropriate referrals to Ophthalmologists if required. By attending this refresher course, the competency of young optometrists in detecting and handling DR cases within the community was improved. This is in line with the goal of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which is to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

The participants who are young Optometrists were trained and equipped with proper knowledge of detecting and managing DR cases within the community. This in turn helps in the early detection of DR, hence helping to prevent vision loss among diabetic patients.

Access to Workshop:

ICBioMed 2023 Workshop -- Kuala Lumpur - YouTube

Venue:

No. 1, UCSI Heights, Jalan Puncak Menara Gading, Taman Connaught, 56000 Cheras, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

VISA:

While there are several citizens who can travel to Malaysia visa free, many foreign nationals are required to obtain a tourist visa to enter the country. The Government of Malaysia introduced an electronic visa system on March 2017 to simplify the process of obtaining a visa to travel to and around Malaysia.

The tourist eVisa for Malaysia and the eNTRI online visa were both implemented to promote tourism and encourage foreign nationals to visit this beautiful country.

Citizens of the following eligible countries can easily obtain their Malaysia tourist visa through an online form.

Malaysia Tourist Visa | Malaysia My Visa

What you need to do

• Valid passport
• Passport-sized photo (see the complete Photo Requirements to apply for Malaysia Visa | Malaysia My Visa for more information)
• Confirmed return flight reservation.
• Minor applicants will require a birth certificate.

Nationals of these countries can apply for their tourist visa from anywhere in the world, except while being in Malaysia or Singapore.

The approved tourist eVisa for Malaysia will be sent to the applicant's email. The traveler can print it out to present upon arrival.

The following documents are also necessary to enter Malaysia:

• Printed eVisa
• Valid passport
• Confirmed return flight reservation
• Proof of accommodation
• Sufficient funds for expenses while in Malaysia (credit or debit card/cash/traveler's cheque) The Malaysia tourist visa holder can stay in Malaysia for a period of up to 30 days. The tourist eVisa for Malaysia also allows multiple entries into the country.

Malaysia Tourist Visa Status Check

All notifications and updates will be sent to the applicant by email. It is therefore absolutely essential that applicants provide a functional email address so that they can be properly kept fully up to date with the application process. The majority of applications for the tourist visa are processed within 1 business day, and as soon as an application has been approved the traveler will be notified immediately.