Vietnam enjoys a high literacy rate as compared to some countries of similar income level as over 95% of children go to schools in Vietnam. 6% of the children in the rural area have refractive errors, and the figures are much higer in the urban and big cities - ranging from 10%-40%. A school health care bureau is functioning within the education and training department at all administrative levels from districts to provinces/cities and the ministry. However there is not yet a national program for health care in schools, let alone RE control.

So do school children have health check annually? The answer is yes. But the quality is not always well managed. Schools are only responsible for vision test for children. There is no follow up program to enable children with low vision go for prescription examination or wearing spectacles. Children do not know where to get good quality examination and glasses.

Stemming from its experiences in working in different cities and provinces throughout Vietnam, ORBIS identified the urgency to develop a national RE control program. Throughout 2010, ORBIS supported Ministry of Health (MOH) in developing a national program on school health management, as well as related guidelines and documents. In various ORBIS-held forums, policy makers and decision makers from health care agencies and relevant government organizations had the opportunity to voice their concern on the issue of refractive errors among school children and they worked together to develop a draft program on school health management to submit for the Ministry of Health’s endorsement and the Prime Minister’s approval. In addition, ORBIS helped MOH to complete three guide books for healthcare workers and school health managers in management, and reporting on school health activities.

To have lessons learnt for wider application, in 2010 ORBIS collaborates with education sectors and eye hospitals to carry out a school-based RE control models in two schools in Hanoi, the Cau Dien primary school and Doan Thi Diem private secondary school. 72 teachers and school health workers from two schools were trained for one-day in recognition of children eye problems, vision testing, and counseling for RE patients. 2,561 students were screened for RE; 20% of the primary school students and 37% of the secondary school students were found with impaired vision. All of them were provided high quality examination for spectacles, held at the school health care office.

Through the model, ORBIS and its partners found that an effective RE control program should involve both education and health care sectors, in which the education departments and schools should play a very active role in planning and organizing examination.

The old-fashioned path of organizing a big event of vision test without any follow up prescription or examination  will be replaced by a well-organized program like a cycle of RE control: vision test –communication and education -- prescription examination – spectacles provision –  monitoring and reporting -- assessment on spectacle use – follow-up checks-up.

In the new program, school children will be provided vision test and followed by prescription or eye examination and assured to wear glasses. Teachers and schools will have more responsibility in organizing eye care programs, monitoring and reporting on the school eye care. Parents will be regularly informed of their children’s vision and participate in the counseling by the eye care professionals. Inter-sectoral collaboration scheme will be established between health care and education sectors.

With its tireless effort, ORBIS has been together with its partners in developing and implementing a good RE control program to help prevent blindness and low vision caused by refractive errors, so no children will be unnecessarily blind just because of uncorrected RE.