KKM shoots down fake shortsightedness cure, turns out it was KKM approved
Yesterday (July 8, 2019), the Health Ministry (KKM) shared a screenshot of an Instagram account that sold a ‘drug’ claiming to treat short-sightedness.
KKM has denied that there is no such thing as a ‘drug’ for shortsightedness.
Tiada ubat untuk merawat rabun. Ubat yang diberikan doktor hanya untuk mengawal masalah mata rabun dan TIDAK dijual dalam talian (online).
Jika anda mengalami masalah mata termasuk rabun, jumpa doktor untuk pemeriksaan.
Jangan beli ubat sesuka hati terutama online. pic.twitter.com/W6OeOagfNG
— KKMPutrajaya (@KKMPutrajaya) July 8, 2019
There is no medicine to treat shortsightedness. Medicine that is given by doctors only help to control short-sightedness and are NOT sold online.
If you have an eye problem including short-sightedness, please visit a doctor for a check-up.
Don’t buy easily buy medicine especially online.
Unfortunately, the Instagram account has been removed now.
Though the question that arose in Twitterjaya was, how come it was KKM approved?
Dah check personally on kkm website. Its valid gaisssss. Mmg ada kkm approved. U guys better check dlu. pic.twitter.com/Lyff6vHDmN
— خَيرونيسا🥀 (@Nieysa_Mokhtar) July 8, 2019
I checked personally on KKM’s website. It’s valid guys. It is KKM approved. You guys better check first.
Funny enough we googled the drug shared on Twitter too.
And yes! It does have KKM approval under a company registered in Kedah.
Basically, the reason why this product was KKM approved is that all its active ingredients are extracted from natural ingredients like tomatoes, avocados and wild carrots.
(Screenshot via NPRA)
A netizen then cleverly raised how actually, what the company violated was their statement “overcome your shortsightedness and astigmatism within at least 2 weeks.â€
Melanggar akta iklan ubat & dia register sebagai produk tradisional (T) pic.twitter.com/ZQFXM7kUUg
— RΞDZΛ (@redzahanif) July 8, 2019
It goes against the drug advertising act & they registered the product as a traditional medicine
According to the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956, advertising drugs that cure eye problems do fall as a violation of the act.
There are 19 other diseases a drug is not supposed to advertise for.
So what is shortsightedness? And can drugs really help?
Shortsightedness also is known as myopia clinically, is an abnormality of the eyeball that grows too long from front to back.
Hence, to correct this issue, patients need to undergo something called refractive surgery.
The most common refractive surgery we millennials know of is LASIK short for Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.
This surgery helps refocuses light onto the retina.
Or you can sharpen your eyesight by increasing your carrot and tomato intake ya’ll! (Ironically like what that supplement was selling)
Because sorry, there are no drugs or medicine that you can eat to lengthen your eyeballs or give you perfect vision.
Or even easier, stick to wearing your spectacles 😉.
