When Fassikaw was in first grade, he began to have trouble seeing objects far away. Reading books and the blackboard became difficult. Sitting in the middle or back of the classroom, he often had to borrow his classmates’ exercise books to copy notes. 

At home, reading took him a long time. His eyes often watered, and his grades began to drop. More than his grades, his parents worried about his worsening vision and the way it was affecting his mood and sleep. Fassikaw even spoke about leaving school. 

Around this time, his family learned about our School Eye Health Program run in partnership with Partners in Education Ethiopia. The program offers free diagnosis and eyeglasses to students in need. 

After hearing this, his family went to the hospital and Fassikaw’s eyes were checked. At the hospital, tests revealed that Fassikaw’s vision required strong corrective lenses: +15.00 for his left eye and +16.00 for his right. Thanks to our partners and generous donors, he received the eyeglasses at no cost. 

Today, Fassikaw can read easily from anywhere in the classroom. At home, he reads without headaches or watery eyes. His grades have improved, and his class ranking has risen from 27^th to 21^st, with steady progress. 

His father says their son is now happy and confident, and the family can sleep without worry. “With God’s help, we hope you will never have to worry about anything,” he says with gratitude. 

Did you know?
Bringing eye health care to students is an investment in their education and their future. Globally, 450 million children have an eye condition that requires treatment; of these, 448 million have refractive errors that only require eye exams and eyeglasses (Source: IAPB Vision Atlas – Child Eye Health). The cost of eyeglasses in our countries of work is approximately C$20. 

By providing eyeglasses through school-based eye health programs, we can transform the lives of children like Fassikaw, helping them see clearly, succeed in school and embrace a brighter future. Give the Gift of Sight today.  

Our Work in Ethiopia 
Since beginning our work in Ethiopia in 2018, we’ve made significant strides toward preventing avoidable vision loss. In 2024, our programs reached more than 33,424 people through eye health screenings, treatment, training and community outreach. From surveying over 14,000 residents in Debre Work to training frontline workers and teachers, screening students and providing eyeglasses, we are building lasting capacity for quality eye care. Read more about our work in Ethiopia in our 2024 Annual Report. Download it here. 

The post Eyeglasses bring hope and better grades to Fassikaw   appeared first on Operation Eyesight.

The focus on child eye health highlighted the impact of vision on education and future livelihoods. Vision issues impact education significantly, new research from the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness shows. The research states that children with poor vision learn half of what those with good vision do, while correcting a child’s vision at school increases their lifelong earnings by up to 78 per cent.

Not only did our team ramp up eye screenings in our school health programs, our country teams also engaged in community health care, hospital strengthening, integration of eye health care in primary health care, and advocacy at the national and local levels by attending meetings and press events.

See photos from initiatives held in honour of World Sight Day below!

Meeting Eye Health Care Needs of Children Outside of School

We used the lead up to World Sight Day to highlight not only school eye health programs but also programs that reach all children. Through our community health care model, we reach the entire family through door-to-door surveys and eye screenings. Those with sight issues are referred to local vision centres or hospitals for further care. When all cases of avoidable vision loss are addressed, and ongoing eye health care is in place, villages are declared as being avoidable blindness-free. In September on Aahotguri River Island in Majuli District, Assam, India, 20 villages received this declaration. See our work in this region in this video.

Through hospital strengthening and integration of eye health care into primary health care, we worked to support premature infants, who are at high risk of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a leading cause of blindness in children. When ROP is detected and treated early, it can prevent lifelong blindness. In September, in Bijnor District, India, our partner C. L. Gupta Eye Institute trained 35 neonatal intensive care staff to address ROP.

Advocating for Eye Health Care

We also used World Sight Day as an opportunity to advocate for universal health care that incorporates eye health care. To do this, our teams attended 15 meetings with partners, policy makers and local and national governments. Staff also attended press briefings.

Eye Health Ambassadors

Eye health care ambassadors donned #LoveYourEyes glasses and posted eye health awareness messages online. The ambassadors included students at screenings, our President and CEO Kashinath Bhoosnurmath, staff, kids, pets, post-secondary and high school students and even Calgary, Alberta, Canada Mayor Jyoti Gondek. We are grateful for their support in raising awareness of child eye health and Operation Eyesight.

Learn more about how you can support child eye health here.

The post World Sight Day 2024 – Child Eye Health appeared first on Operation Eyesight.