Hundreds of thousands blind due to cataracts; Indonesia strengthens eye screening through CKG
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) states that there are around 600-650 thousand cases of blindness due to cataracts throughout 2025, thus integrating eye screening into the 2026 Free Health Check Programme (CKG) and ensuring cataract surgery services under the National Health Insurance Programme (JKN).
Deputy Minister of Health (Wamenkes) Dante Saksono Harbuwono emphasised that this condition threatens national productivity, especially among the elderly population. Ministry of Health data shows that cataracts are the main cause of blindness in people over 50 years old, accounting for 81.2 percent.
“If cataracts are not treated, what is lost is not only vision, but also their social roles and productivity,” said Wamenkes Dante in Jakarta on Sunday.
He further stated that the results of the 2025-2026 CKG Programme screening confirm this urgency, as out of 23.35 million people examined, 2.95 million of them experienced eye disorders.
Wamenkes Dante explained that cataract sufferers lose access to around 80 percent of information received through the sense of sight.
On the same occasion, the UAE Ambassador to Indonesia and ASEAN, Abdulla Salem Obaid AlDhaheri, stated that this cooperation is an important pillar of UAE-Indonesia bilateral relations.
“Health services are the foundation for human dignity and sustainable development,” said Abdulla.
He added that the programme reflects the humanitarian legacy of the UAE founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
He also appreciated Indonesian ophthalmologists who are members of the Indonesian Ophthalmologists Association (Perdami).
In the same vein, the Regent of Kapuas, Muhamad Wiyanto, expressed gratitude for the assistance, considering the high cost of independent surgery which can reach Rp10 million per eye.
“Last year, around 150 participants, this year it increased to 200 patients. This increase shows the great need of the community as well as trust in this programme,” said Wiyanto.
He hopes that in the future, this activity can reach more regions.
In the 2025-2030 Vision Roadmap for Eye Health, the government targets at least 60 percent of cataract sufferers to receive surgical interventions with optimal sharp vision results. In 2025, the national surgery capacity realisation has reached 634,642 people (92 percent of the target).