Brien Holden Vision Institute Africa help children with eyesight problems
Under the theme Vision First, eye-screening activities were carried out on more than 200 school learners and teachers with the aim of reducing the burden of eye conditions and vision loss.
The Brien Holden Vision Institute (BHVI) Africa, in partnership with the Department of Health and the Department of Education, held the Drive for Sight awareness campaign at Chivirikani Primary School in Katlehong on October 25.
Under the theme Vision First, eye-screening activities were carried out on more than 200 school learners and teachers with the aim of reducing the burden of eye conditions and vision loss.
The drive was held to celebrate World Sight Day.
After the screening, the learners who were identified as needing glasses were provided with them free of charge. Others who require further treatment which could not be provided on the day were referred to the closest institutions that were able to assist them and won’t be charged for it.
According to Godfrey Qhena, one of the BHVI Africa trustees, they were advocating and raising awareness on the importance of vision and eye health on the day.
“Sight and hearing goes hand in hand. We have seen many cases where learners failed because they do not have clear eyesight and others fail because they have hearing problems. We as BHVI Africa are here to enable learners from destitute backgrounds to have access to high-quality eye treatment free of charge,” said Qhena.
Qhena said those learners who were identified as needing help were identified by school nurses and by their teachers during the teaching and learning process.
He also explained the procedure that was used in selecting the school to benefit from BHVI Africa’s kind gesture.
“Most of the learners in this school come from destitute backgrounds. There is a lot of dust in the informal settlements where they are coming from. The dust is one of the causes of poor eyesight. Sometimes their poor eyesight is caused by the food they eat. So they need help the most,” Qhena told Kathorus MAIL.
Kesi Naidoo, Global Resource Centre (GRC) manager at BHVI Africa, said 220 children were referred to them.
“Out of the 220 we examined, we found out that only 20 suffer from vernal conjunctivitis. These learners were referred to closest institutions where they were able to get help.
“The rest suffer from common infections caused by exposing themselves to dust. The solution for these learners was to get glasses and given eye drops,” said Naidoo.
Chris Maluleke, the school principal, said he was very happy for the children of the school.
“Some of the parents cannot afford this level of eye care or to send their children to professionals.
“This is going to benefit our children a lot since they need both good eyesight and hearing for them to do well in their learning areas,” Maluleke said.
He also thanked BHVI Africa for the services they offered
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