Malawi Union of the Blind intensifies eye screening in schools
Screening of eyes for children in schools helps to identify sight problems in children, which result into getting early medical help to save their sight, Executive Director for Malawi Union of the Blind (MUB), Ezekiel Kumwenda has said.
He said this on Monday at Malomo Primary School when Malawi Union of the Blind (MUB) had eye screening exercise which the union is implementing under Medical Eye Care project.
Kumwenda said screening of eyes in schools and rural centres helps children and other people to access the medical service with ease.
“People neglect to go for medical help on eye problems due to several reasons like distance to health centres, until the problem becomes worse. But with outreach eye screening, children and others are helped because their problems are identified and get treated instantly or are given direction for further medical help,” he said.
The director said eye problems in children affect education as most of them end up becoming blind hence affecting development of the area and country too.
The Programme Director for Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially sighted, Catherine Thue, said her organisation was committed to working with MUB in ensuring that children in schools are reached and assisted to save their sight.
She said her organisation was working with MUB to raise awareness on how children in schools can take care of their eyes apart from screening their eyes.
“It’s important that children know how to care for their eyes from an early age so that they prevent infections. As a country we can save a lot of money by only teaching the children how to care for their eyes,” Thue said.
The organisation will reach out to other three centres in Ntchisi where school children will be targeted. The eye screening exercise is targeting over 450 people at each centre in the district. The exercise is being funded by the partner organisation Norwegian Association of the Blind and partially sighted.
