Identifying eye and low vision problems in childhood is extremely important since, if caught in time, they can be corrected. Eyes of the world carries out such campaigns in schools for early detection of these problems, preventing them from worsening and leading to irreversible blindness.
Most children are unaware they have a visual problem, and their first contact with an ophthalmologist is in this type of campaign. When vision is neglected, it makes learning challenging and causes poor school performance, which can lead to social and psychological deficits.
An important determining factor in Mozambique, moreover, is to get this attention to the population that is far from a consultation. The long distances that are traveled to access health centres, as well as the lack of economic resources to travel and pay for treatment, medication, or glasses, causes many children to suffer pathologies in very advanced stages.
In February, the Foundation began a campaign to check primary schools in the province of Inhambane to serve 1,490 children to detect and correct vision problems. The most common ones are refractive errors, allergic conjunctivitis, and acute conjunctivitis. We give them medicines and prescription glasses, in addition to providing them with basic prevention and care habits:
- Do not rub your eyes with your hands.
- Avoid exposure to the sun.
- Avoid hot and dusty places.
- Go to routine eye consultations to control treatment.
Schools welcome these campaigns with open arms, as it is very gratifying to see students solve vision problems and improvements in teaching and learning processes.
These school check-up activities are part of the Eyes of Mozambique Project, financed by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) and the Government of Navarre.
