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Low vision and blindness are major health issues affecting ageing population. This cross-sectional study aims to determine the prevalence of visual impairment (VI) in Petaling Jaya North, Petaling Jaya South, and Lembah Pantai using data from the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research. There were 1322 participants aged ≥55 years selected by random sampling from parliamentary electoral rolls. Visual acuity was assessed using the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution chart at 4 m distance. The overall population-adjusted prevalence of VI was 9.0%. The estimated prevalence of VI was highest in Malays followed by Indians and Chinese. Following adjustments for ethnic discrepancies in age, marital status, education level, gender and medical illness, the Malay ethnicity remained an independent association for VI. Education level was associated with Indian ethnicity. In conclusion, the Malay ethnicity and lower education level among Indian ethnicity were found to be associated with VI among the older population in Malaysia. The Malay ethnicity showed the highest prevalence of VI followed by Indians and Chinese.

Objective: To compare the refractive outcomes of laser-treated and non-laser-treated retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) infant, at 2 years of age in Hospital Selayang.Methods: Retrospective review involving patients born between 2016 and 2018. They were divided into those who were treated with laser photocoagulation, and those who were observed. Laser treatment was given to infants with threshold and high-risk, pre-threshold disease. Refractive error was identified by cycloplegic refraction at 2 years of age.Results: There were 22 eyes from 11 infants in the laser-treated group, all of which had zone II ROP with plus disease; of these, four had stage 2 ROP and 18 had stage 3 ROP. There were 53 eyes from 28 patients in the non-laser-treated group. The mean birth weight for the laser-treated and non-laser-treated groups was 966.9 ± 92.6 g and 1019.3 ± 282.0 g, respectively (P = 0.398). Mean gestational age for the laser-treated and non-laser-treated groups was 28.2 ± 2.2 weeks and 27.7 ± 2.2 weeks, respectively (P = 0.390). At 2 years, the mean spherical equivalence for the laser-treated and non-laser treated groups was -0.55 ± 2.49 D and +0.17 ± 1.43 D, respectively, although the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.120). Myopia was commoner in the laser-treated group (six eyes [27%] vs five eyes [9%], P = 0.047), and two eyes from two different infants (10%) from this group also developed high myopia (> -6.00 D). For hypermetropia and astigmatism, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups (all P > 0.05). High myopia was strongly related to the post-conceptual age when receiving laser therapy (P = 0.025). In the laser-treated group, two infants (9%) had amblyopia and one (5%) had exotropia at 2 years of age. None of the eyes developed structural retinal sequelae.Conclusion: Despite successful treatment of ROP, a significant number of laser-treated eyes developed myopia. This highlights the need for long-term refractive screening in these patients.