eye health

The inability to see clearly has an enormous impact on childrens’ learning (ability to read, write, participate) and their overall development and quality of life (being labeled as slow-learners, disobedient, disinterested).   

Refractive errors can easily be corrected.  However, in poor communities where we work, they are typically not addressed. This is mainly due to a lack of awareness among teachers and children and their families that vision problems even exist. Even if such conditions are recognized, refractive services, including eyeglasses, are often unavailable or unaffordable, and there is a cultural stigma associated with wearing glasses. 

Eye diseases such as trachoma, which are common in our target communities, can often also be treated, given access to opthalmologists and eye treatment centres.

Partners has established a partnership between Operation Eyesight Canada Inc (OES) and the College of Medicine and Health Sciences Bahir Dar University (BDU) to promote eye health amongst our students, teachers, and their families. Partners’ staff work with health care workers, ophthalmologists, optometrists, and educators, along with medical students from several universities, in training staff, conducting eye health assessments and facilitating treatment of eye health issues.

The project has helped each of its 6 partner hospitals, i.e., those close to our schools, establish and run a vision center. Over 94,000 students, teachers, and community members have been screened. To date, almost 3,500 spectacles have been distributed and over 32,000 individuals have been treated at a vision centre.