Why school children?

• There are approximately 45.5 million people who are visually impaired globally due to uncorrected refractive errors.
• There are 12.8 million children in 5-15 years of age group visually impaired due to refractive errors globally. In India, the prevalence of blindness is 1.1 % and as far as main cause of blindness is concerned uncorrected refractive Errors stands second with 19.7% just after cataract which is 62.6%
• Children In The School Going Age (6-14 Years) Represent Over 25 Per Cent Of The Population School Children Still Form A Large, Needy Target Group Requiring Identification And Treatment Of Refractive Errors Due To The Following Reasons:
  • They are a “captive” group and can be reached through the organized educational system.
  • Reading and writing are their basic school level activities requiring good eyesight. Many children, their teachers and parents realize this.
  • Children are good ambassadors who can carry messages home on the need and benefits of eye test and good eyesight to their parents, siblings and friends, who are not attending schools.
  • Teachers are the ones who interact with their pupils daily. It is therefore possible for them to observe the behaviour of their students to facilitate early detection of vision defects.
  • School teachers can ensure compliance on use of spectacles among children who are provided spectacles & can serve as good counsellors to parents and students and motivate them to use spectacles. Eye screening programs in schools typically involve visual acuity tests, which measure the clarity of a child’s vision, and assessments for common vision problems such as near-sightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Children who are found to have vision problems are referred for further evaluation and treatment.

PUSHP is MEDICS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITATIVE WITH NOMINAL CHARGE OF RS -50 TO BE PAID BY SCHOOL – ITS NON PROFITABLE PROGRAM