The Malta Eye Study

10/11/2025

Our radio interview is out this evening at 6pm on Campus FM 103.7

This week on Riċerkaturi, RIDT CEO Wilfred Kenely meets Dr David Agius to discuss the final report of the The Malta Eye Study

09/10/2025

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👁️ Jum Dinji tal-Vista 2025 👁️

Illum, fil-Jum Dinji tal-Vista 2025, qed inħabbru li r-riċerka ewlenija tagħna minn The Malta Eye Study għadha kemm ġiet ippubblikata online. Din hija bbażata fuq il-prevalenza tal-problemi fil-vista fost adulti ta’ bejn il-50 u t-80 sena f’Malta.

📖 Aqraha hawn: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/11206721251383740

Riżultati ewlenin:
– Wieħed minn kull erbgħa adulti Maltin ta’ bejn il-50 u t-80 sena għandu/għandha xi forma ta’ nuqqas fil-vista, u wieħed minn kull sittax jgħix b’nuqqas fil-vista li jaffettwa iżjed l-attivitajiet ta’ kuljum.
– Il-kawżi l-aktar komuni huma dawk li ħafna drabi wieħed jista' jilqagħlhom, fosthom il-bżonn tan-nuċċali, il-katarretti u għajn għażżiena (amblyopia). Kawżi oħra jinkludu mard fl-għajn relatat maz-zokkor, deġenerazzjoni tal-makula relatata mal-età, mijopija patoloġika u glawkoma.

Ħajr lil kull parteċipant/a li ta/t il-ħin tiegħu/tagħha għal dan l-istudju, lil kull min għen fil-loġistika ta' dan l-istudju u ħadem biex tinġabar l-informazzjoni, kif ukoll lill-kollegi u l-amministrazzjoni ta’ Mater Dei Hospital u Gozo General Hospital għall-permess li nużaw il-faċilitajiet tagħhom — u lill-isponsors tagħna, RIDT - University of Malta Research Trust, Prohealth Ltd u Class Optical.

👓 F’dan il-Jum Dinji tal-Vista qegħdin inħeġġuk biex tieħu ħsieb għajnejk:
– Iċċekkja għajnejk kull sena jew sentejn (kull sena jekk għandek iz-zokkor jew storja ta’ glawkoma fil-familja).
– Naqqas il-ħin quddiem l-iskrins u ħu pawżi regolari biex tevita għeja jew nixfa fl-għajnejn.
– Ilbes nuċċalijiet tax-xemx ta’ kwalità biex tipproteġi għajnejk kontra d-dawl UV.
– Żomm ruħek f'saħħtek — ikkontrolla l-livelli taz-zokkor fid-demm, ibqa’ attiv/a, u evita t-tipjip u l-konsum ta' drogi jew użu eċċessiv ta’ alkoħol.
– Żomm dieta bilanċjata, mogħnija bi ħxejjex, frott u omega-3s biex issaħħaħ il-vista fit-tul.
– U ma ninsewx it-tfal tagħna — il-vista tat-tfal għandha tiġi ċċekkjata kmieni minn professjonist/a fl-għajnejn, speċjalment jekk jiġu nnutati xi problemi waqt l-iskrining fl-iskola. Dan sabiex jiġu evitati problemi fil-vista matul il-ħajja. Ir-riċerka turi li t-tfal li jqattgħu ftit ħin barra mid-dar ikollhom inqas mijopija (bżonn ta' nuċċali biex jikkoreġi vista fil-bogħod) u l-konsegwenzi tagħha fil-ħajja.
– Fittex attenzjoni medika urġenti mingħand professjonist tal-għajnejn jekk tesperjenza sintomi f’daqqa bħal dwal jixegħlu (flashes), ħjut jew għanqbut li jiċċaqalqu (floaters), dell jew purtiera quddiem il-vista, vista mgħawġa, uġigħ f’daqqa fl-għajn, jew korriment fl-għajn.

It-telf tal-vista mhux inevitabbli maż-żmien — ħafna kawżi nistgħu nilqgħulhom b’kura regolari. Ejja nieħdu ħsieb l-għajnejn Maltin! 💙

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👁️ World Sight Day 2025 👁️

Today, on World Sight Day 2025, we’re proud to announce that our landmark paper from The Malta Eye Study has just been published online, presenting the first population-based data on visual impairment among adults aged 50–80 years in Malta.

📖 Read it here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/11206721251383740

Key findings:
– 1 in 4 Maltese adults aged 50–80 have some degree of reduced vision, and 1 in 16 live with visual impairment affecting their daily activities.
– The most common causes were those that can often be prevented or treated, including the need for updated glasses, cataract, and lazy eye (amblyopia). Other causes included diabetic eye disease, age-related macular degeneration, pathological myopia, and glaucoma.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the participants who volunteered their time, all the team members who provided logistical support and assisted in collecting data in this study, as well as to the staff and administration of Mater Dei Hospital and Gozo General Hospital for their invaluable support and for permitting the use of their facilities - and our sponsors, RIDT - University of Malta Research Trust, Prohealth Ltd and Class Optical.

👓 This World Sight Day, take a moment to care for your eyes:
– Have your eyes checked every 1–2 years (yearly if you have diabetes or a family history of glaucoma).
– Limit screen time and take regular breaks to prevent eye strain and dryness.
– Protect your eyes from UV light with quality sunglasses.
– Maintain good metabolic health — control blood sugar, stay active, and avoid smoking, drugs of abuse and excess alcohol.
– Eat a balanced diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and omega-3s.
– And don’t forget our youngest generation — children’s vision should be checked early by an experienced eye care professional, especially if any issues are flagged during school screening, to prevent lifelong vision problems. Research shows that children who spend some time outdoors have less short-sightedness and its lifelong complications.
- Seek urgent attention from an eye care professional if you experience sudden symptoms such as flashes of light, new floaters, a curtain or shadow over your vision, distorted vision, sudden eye pain, or eye injury.

Vision loss is not inevitable with age — most causes can be prevented or treated. Let’s keep Malta’s eyes healthy! 💙

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Purpose To describe the population characteristics, prevalence, and causes of visual impairment in Maltese adults aged 50–80 years. Methods The Malta Eye Study...

24/06/2024

Tonight at 6pm. 103.7 campus FM listen to our radio interview related to The Malta Eye Study.

In this last week of the 5th series of Riċerkaturi, Wilfred Kenely meets Dr David Agius to discuss his research in the Eye Study. University of Malta Campus 103.7

12/07/2022

The study is currently inviting randomly selected people to attend for an eye check. This video explains what the study is all about and what participation entails. We encourage anyone who gets an invitation by post to reach out to us.

29/03/2022

The Malta Eye Study has so far seen 400 volunteers who accepted our invitation to come and check their eyes as part of the research project. We encourage anyone who receives the invitation to attend for the free check. Numerous participants have been referred for further care due to problems relating to cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma.

Earlier this month was World Glaucoma Day. Here are some common questions we are frequently asked.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a type of disease which shows damage of the nerve at the back of the eye which affects how one sees from the sides, and eventually can cause blindness. This is usually caused by a high eye pressure.

Does glaucoma mean blindness?

Glaucoma is one of the commonest causes of irreversible blindness. With today's care, blindness from glaucoma is preventable, when detected early enough.

How would I know if I have glaucoma or not?

Glaucoma does not generally give any symptoms until it is already late in its progress. The only way how one would know whether he/she has it in its earlier stage is by checking with a detailed examination of the eye.

Who should check?

People who are more at risk from developing glaucoma are people who have a family history of the condition and people who are older than 40. These people should check their vision, their eye pressure and the nerve in a routine check every year so that if they have glaucoma, they can be treated to prevent them from losing their eyesight.

If I am told I have glaucoma, what should be done?

The treatment for glaucoma aims to minimise further damage to one's vision from happening. It cannot cure what has already been lost. Treatments can involve laser and/or the use of drops. Sometimes surgery is considered if the drops are not enough. A regular follow up is required.

15/10/2021

On the occasion of World Sight Day that was celebrated yesterday, we are pleased to announce that the research study has already sent over 400 invitations to random participants and over 100 people have benefited from assessments so far. May we take the opportunity to encourage anyone who receives the invitation to participate in this research and come over to check his/her eye health free of charge.

13/08/2020

Meeting people
Performing questionnaires
Suitable for most ages
Fluency in Maltese and English required

15/10/2019

Kemm niġbdu l-attenzjoni li l-istudju se jsir fuq nies magħżulin b'mod awtomatiku minghajr preferenza (random sampling) sabiex ir-riżultat ikun xjentifikament korrett u applikabbli fl-istrateġija tal-kura ta' l-għajn. Se jsir Mater Dei mhux il-Furjana. Iktar tagħrif tistgħu ssibuh fuq:fb.me/themaltaeyestudy

Madwar 2,000 persuna se jkunu jistgħu japplikaw għal test tal-għajnejn b’xejn bħala parti minn studju nazzjonali. L-għan tal-istudju huwa li jiġbor data dwar il-prevalenza ta’ mard komuni tal-għajnejn u problemi tal-viżta f’Malta. It-tobba qalu li s’issa din it-tip ta’ informazzjon...

13/10/2019

Ftit punti bil-Malti dwar il-proġett The Malta Eye Study li jwieġbu diversi mistoqsijiet:

The Malta Eye Study – Proġett ta’ l-Universita’ ta’ Malta b’kollaborazzjoni mad-Dipartiment ta’ l-Oftalmoloġija fi Sptar Mater Dei

Riċerkatur ewlieni: Dr David Agius (tabib fit-taħriġ ta’ l-oftalmoloġija)
Supervisors: Mr Francis Carbonaro (konsulent oftalmologu) u Prof Julian Mamo (epidemjologu)

Dan il-proġett hu possibbli b’fondi mill- Malta Community Chest Fund b’kollaborazzjoni mar-Research Innovation and Development Trust (RIDT) u b’permezz ta’ sponsorship (Class Optical)

Għan
Sabiex nidentifikaw kemm huma komuni l-kundizzjonijiet ta’l-għajnejn li jistgħu inaqqsu l-vista fil-popolazzjoni adulta Maltija ta’ bejn il-50 u 80 sena.

Min se jipparteċipa?
Il-parteċipazzjoni f’dan l-istudju se ssir biss minn min jirċievi l-invit.
Sabiex ir-riċerka taghtina riżultati li jagħmlu sens u li jkunu utli , il-parteċipanti se jiġu magħzula permezz ta' random sampling, jiġifieri se jissejjaħ kampjun mir-reġistru elettorali mingħajr ebda preferenza u mingħajr ebda forma ta’ diskrimanzzjoni ta’ bżonn jew talba partikolari. Għaldaqstant infakkru li se nkunu qed nistiednu ħames t’elef ruħ ta’ etajiet bejn ħamsin u tmenin għal dan, allura hemm cans tajjeb li wieħed jingħazel għax in-numru ta’ parteċipanti li se naraw huwa kbir. Nawgurlalek li jekk tirċievi mingħandna, tieħu l-opportunita’ sabiex tattendi din il-viżta li tista’ tgħinnek u li se tgħin lill-poplu Malti u Għawdxi.
Kampjun ieħor ta’ madwar mitejn persuna li nafu li huma neqsin mid-dawl se jisseħju mill-lista tal-Commission for the Rights for Persons of Disability, bil-permess tal-kummissjoni. Dawn il-parteċipanti se jsirulhom l-istess testijiet.

Post:
Sptar Mater Dei, Ophthalmology Outpatients

X’tinvolvi l-parteċipazzjoni:
It-test komplut ta’l-għajn jinvolvi:
Test tal-vista u tan-nuċċali (refraction)
Eżaminazzjoni ta’ l-għajn tat-tabib fuq l-islit lamp
Ritratti tal-wara ta’ l-għajn
Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (sdOCT) scan – dan huwa test li jsir biex jaqbad ċerta forom ta’ zokkor fl-għajn, glaucoma, u macular degeneration.
Mistoqsijiet fuq is-saħħa in ġenerali
Test tal-pressjoni tad-demm piż, tul u zokkor fid-demm
Teħid ta’ kampjun tal-bżieq għal testijiet futuri fil-ġenetika

Meta:
L-istediniet se jintbagħtu f’dawn is-sentejn li ġejjin (minn tmiem 2019 sa 2021).
Wieħed se jkollu data u ħin fuq l-invit. Jekk wieħed ma jkunx jista’ jattendi fid-data li tingħatalu, għandu jinfurmana fuq id-dettalji li jingħata

Benefiċċji tal-parteċipazzjoni:
Test ta’ l-għajn komplut u b’xejn
Jista’ jinqabad mard ta’ l-għajn fi stadju ta’ qabel sintomi, u b’hekk issir riferta għall-kura minn stadju bikri, b’mod li wieħed jippreveni l-kumplikazzjonijiet u n-nuqqas fil-vista
Sponsored gift vouchers u prodotti tal-kura ta’ l-għajn

Xi prattikalitajiet għal min jipparteċipa:

Jekk għandek nuċċali tal-vista, ġibu miegħek, flimkien ma’ xi riċetti li jista’ jkollok.

Jekk għandek xi storja medika ninkoraġġuk iġġib miegħek il-lista ta’ mediċini li tieħu flimkien ma’ xi noti dwar saħħtek li jista’ jkollok. Dawn ikunu ta’ għajnuna għalina sabiex ninviżtawk ahjar.

Nirrikmandaw ukoll sabiex ma ssuqx inti għal dan l-appuntament. Ikun idejali jekk jiġi xi ħadd jakkumpanjak, speċjalment jekk ħa tkun qed tuża trasport privat. Ħa nkunu qegħdin nipprovdu parking ticket għal min ikun qed isuqek.