KONDISI KESEHATAN PADANG LAMUN DI PERAIRAN LANTUNG KECAMATAN WORI KABUPATEN MINAHASA UTARA

Seagrasses are flowering plants (angiosperms) that live on a substrate of sand, muddy sand, and sand mixed with coral fragments. Seagrass beds have an important role both for supports the life of various types of marine biota as well as protein source for the coastal community. The purposes of this study were to find out the types of seagrasses and to assess seagrass bed conditions around Lantung village waters. The line transect quadrat method was using for data collection. Four transects were laid perpendicular from the sea to the shoreline. A 50 x 50 cm frame was used to asstimet seagrass percent cover and laid every ten meters along the transect line. This study found 7 species of seagrass namely Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rotundata, Syringodium isoetifolium, Halodule pinifolia, Halophila decipiens, and Halophila ovalis. The average value of seagrass percent cover at the location was 66.44% and it was categorized as ‘healthy’. The environmental parameters values were 29.86°C, 29.05‰ and 8.45 for temperature, salinity and pH respectively.Keywords: Lantung, seagrass, health condition, percent coverABSTRAK Lamun adalah tumbuh-tumbuhan berbunga (angiospermae) yang hidup pada substrat pasir, pasir berlumpur, dan pasir bercampur pecahan karang. Padang lamun memiliki peran penting dalam suatu ekosistem perairan dangkal yang menunjang kehidupan beragam jenis biota laut dan lumbung protein bagi masyarakat. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini ialah mengetahui jenis-jenis lamun yang ada di lokasi penelitian dan mengkaji kondisi kesehatan padang lamun dengan teknik pengumpulan data mengunakan metode transek kuadran yang ditarik tegak lurus garis pantai, dengan ukuran frame 50x 50 cm. Hasil penelitian di Perairan Lantung, Kecamatan Wori, Kabupaten Minahasa Utara, Sulawesi Utara ditemukan 7 jenis lamun yaitu Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rotundata, Syringodium isoetifolium, Halodule pinifolia, Halophila decipiens, dan Halophila ovalis. Nilai rata- rata penutupan lamun pada lokasi penelitian sebesar 66,44% dan di kategorikan sehat. Parameter di Perairan Lantung yaitu suhu, salinitas, pH, dan substrat tergolong baik dengan nilai rata- rata parameter tergolong optimun dan berada pada kisaran baku mutu air laut dan dapat di toleransi lamun dengan nilai suhu 29,86°C, nilai salinitas 29,05‰ dan nilai pH 8,45.Kata kunci: Lantung, lamun, kondisi kesehatan, penutupa

Rethinking elective cataract surgery diagnostics, assessments, and tools after the COVID-19 pandemic experience and beyond: Insights from the EUROCOVCAT group

The progressive deterioration of the visual function in patients on waiting lists for cataract surgery has a negative impact on their quality of life, especially in the elderly population. Patient waiting times for cataract surgeries in many healthcare settings have increased recently due to the prolonged stop or slowdown of elective cataract surgery as a result of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). The aim of this review is to highlight the impact of such a “de-prioritization” of cataract surgery and to summarize some critical issues and useful hints on how to reorganize cataract pathways, with a special focus on perioperative diagnostic tools during the recovery phase and beyond. The experiences of a group of surgeons originating from nine different countries, named the European COVID-19 Cataract Group (EUROCOVCAT), have been combined with the literature and recommendations from scientific ophthalmic societies and healthcare institutions. Key considerations for elective cataract surgery should include the reduction of the number of unnecessary visits and examinations, adoption of precautionary measures, and implementation of telemedicine instruments. New strategies should be adopted to provide an adequate level of assistance and to guarantee safety conditions. Flexibility will be the watchword and regular updates would be necessary following scientific insights and the development of the pandemic

Early impact of COVID-19 outbreak on eye care: Insights from EUROCOVCAT group

The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been declared a public health emergency worldwide. The scientific community has put in much effort and published studies that described COVID-19’s biology, transmission, clinical diagnosis, candidate therapeutics, and vaccines. However, to date, only a few data are available on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmological care in different health care systems, its future consequences in terms of disability, and access to sight-saving cures for many patients. To reduce human-to-human transmission of the virus and also ensure supply of infrastructures, human resources, and disposable medical devices to many regions, it is crucial to assess risks and postpone non-essential outpatient visits and elective surgical procedures, especially in older patients and those with comorbidities. This delay or suspension in essential eye procedures may cause significant and rapid vision impairment to irreversible blindness. Determining the risk-benefit profile of treating these ocular pathologies is a public health issue of supreme priority, even though many patients benefiting from therapeutic treatments are elderly, who are more vulnerable to COVID-19. If not reversible, this process could lead to a dramatic increase in disability and unsustainable social costs for many Governments

COVID-19 outbreak and increased risk of amblyopia and epidemic myopia: Insights from EUROCOVCAT group

The most common cause of vision impairment in children is amblyopia. It is defined as impaired visual acuity in one or both eyes that is present with no demonstrable abnormality of the visual pathway and is not immediately resolved by wearing glasses. After the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, widespread changes and restrictions to social and sanitary practices have presented significant issues in access to eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A reduction of more than 80% in pediatric eye care volume up to its total cessation has been observed in different departments. In this scenario, reduced or absent eyesight, due to delay in timely treatment of amblyopic conditions, could create major, long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities and the ability to access public services. Processes coming out of lockdown should be gradually easing restrictions giving priority to ophthalmology and eye care facilities so that amblyopia does not remain unattended and irreversible as in adults due to lack of timely treatments. If not reversible, this process could lead to a dramatic increase in disability and unsustainable social costs for many governments