3,000 students receive free eye surgery and glasses in Uasin Gishu
Children briefing on eye screening/Photo Courtesy
309 schools in Soy, Turbo, Ainabkoi and Kapseret Sub-counties in Uasin Gishu County, have benefited immensely from a two year School Eye Health Program funded by USAID with an aim of reducing the prevalence of avoidable blindness and visual impairment of school-going children.
The program started off in 2021 with an official launch presided by the former governor of Uasin Gishu County, H.E Jackson Mandago.
The program engaged the key stakeholders including the Department of Education and Teacher Services Commission that authorized the project activities in schools and allowing teachers to conduct the screening
“We appreciate the program for their immense support that will ensure students retention in school, the program has also empowered many of our teachers who will now manage the stigma surrounding wearing of spectacles”Opined Khalif Hassan the Uasin Gishu County Director of Education.
Other Key partners were Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) and Huruma Sub-County Eye Unit that provided treatment for children identified with eye conditions during the screening.
The program trained twenty curriculum support officers to use smartphone technology to Identify children with visual impairment and refer those identified with eye problems for Treatment.
Cumulatively 111,270 school children were screened translating to 85% school population coverage of the three sub-counties.
“92% of 3,033 children were identified to have a need for medical intervention which included treatment, surgery, eyeglasses and low vision devices that were provided at no Cost” Said Alice Mwangi,Kenya Country Director Operation Eyesight.
In the program Teachers were also screened where a total of 3,225 were reached and 1,234 supplied with free eyeglasses. She added.
The program developed child friendly Information Education and Communication (IEC) material that that were used to educate children and community members on the common childhood blinding conditions. This was in a bid to empower children to identify when they have eye problems and seek early treatment.
Operational research was embedded in the program on the prevalence of refractive error and determinants of spectacle wearing among school going children in Uasin Gishu County where parents played an advisory role while teachers encouraged spectacle wear in order to end stigmatization around students wearing Spectacles .
Children, parents, and community members have been empowered to take charge of their eye health through eye health education.
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