Eye Care Everywhere: In The Schools

Through programs like REACH (Refractive Error Among Children), we work with local partners in Nepal to screen, identify, and treat schoolchildren — improving their chances for bright futures rather than lives with poor vision and diminished opportunities.

We first deployed REACH – a comprehensive system for screening and correcting children’s vision – in 2016 in India. It has already been tremendously successful there, providing 4.25 million eye screenings, more than 129,000 optical treatments and 1,400 surgeries as well as training over 55,000 teachers and community workers.

As our teams mobilize communities, schools, parents, and children to teach the importance of early identification of eye problems. This, and basic screening, is done at “vision points.”

Vision points can hang on a wall, stand on a desk, or be easily carried to community events and gatherings—whatever works in the context. We train teachers, community leaders, and eye health workers on how to use the kit to screen people for vision loss and basic eye issues, and to refer them to the Vision Centers as needed.

Sneha, an 8th grader who loves to learn, was one of the 52,000 children screened before the pandemic forced schools to close temporarily. It was becoming impossible for Sneha to see the blackboard, and she resorted to copying her friends’ notebooks to avoid falling behind in her studies.

Two weeks after her screening, Sneha received free eyeglasses that corrected her vision. Even though kids who wear eyeglasses are often teased, her grandmother taught Sneha to be proud of hers. “Clear vision is more important than appearance,” she said.

She hopes to become a bank manager when she grows up, and she’s a step closer to her dream, thanks to Orbis, our partners in Nepal — and our amazing supporters.

Around the world, there are students just like Sneha, who have undiagnosed vision problems that can be treated with a simple pair of eye glasses. Will you help us continue to ensure that school children like Sneha have access to eye care — regardless of where they live?