Tackling childhood blindness and visual impairment in low-income countries presents considerable challenges. Infrastructure and human resources are seriously lacking, and systems for accurately testing children for eye conditions and improving follow-up rates are often non-existent or inadequate.

If there was a way to improve the way that children’s eyesight is screened and treated across low-income countries, could the fight against eliminating avoidable blindness for good be a step closer?

A new grant to Operation Eyesight from Standard Chartered Bank’s Seeing is Believing program could pave the way for an effective approach to screening millions of children with vision problems. We have funded a pilot project in Kenya that could revolutionize the way children’s eyes are tested, using the recently launched Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) smartphone app.

Watch the video here

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine worked with ophthalmologist Hillary Rono at Kitale District Hospital in Kenya to run the school-based project. Once finished, we will be able to evaluate if the Peek app can be used effectively by teachers to test children’s vision and improve detection for those with sight problems.

In Kenya, few schools have a school screening program available. The team hopes the device will be as accurate in the hands of teachers as by specialists using traditional hospital-based tests.

The connectivity of Peek enables data to be instantly loaded up onto a dedicated cloud system, and the results immediately accessed by hospital staff, saving a significant administrative burden for teachers and allowing for referrals to be made more swiftly. It also allows teachers and doctors to check on those who have not come for treatment. Hospitals will be able to let teachers know by text message whether a child needs to come in.

The possibilities for this innovative app are huge! As Dr Rono says, “We are extremely excited by this project and grateful to Seeing is Believing for this innovation grant. Ever since the Peek team launched their impressive app, we saw that it could really make a difference to the problem of screening at schools. It will help increase the detection rates of children with poor vision, hopefully helping them realise their educational potential.”

Operation Eyesight would like to thank Seeing is Believing, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) for their funding and support with this innovative project!

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Today, the second Thursday of October, is World Sight Day…  a day when countries around the world mark an international day of awareness about avoidable blindness. This year, we’re celebrating by unveiling a new animated video, “Who Cares?” in honour of our upcoming 50^th anniversary.

To create the video, we were delighted to work with the talented animators and storytellers at Umbrella Pro, Alana Thorburn-Watt and Levente Kovacs. If the names sound familiar, they created our first animated video, “See This?” for World Sight Day 2011. We were thrilled with the result!

Levente told me, “Creating the video for Operation Eyesight’s 50th anniversary was a great honour. We take pride in developing this animated video for an organization built up of wonderful individuals all dedicated to helping those less fortunate. We hope to expose Operation Eyesight to a greater audience and show people that major world problems can be solved by caring for the greater good of the community.”

He added, “Giving back and sharing our success with others will only spread optimism and prosperity throughout the world. Together we can create a world and a legacy that we wish to leave behind for future generations.” We couldn’t agree more! Thanks, Levente and Alana for your enthusiasm and creativity.

World Sight Day is momentous for Operation Eyesight in another way: we opened a new eye hospital, the Ophthalmology Centre at University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia. What will this new hospital mean to Zambians? Learn more.

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Fired with enthusiasm about Operation Eyesight’s mandate to eliminate avoidable blindness, Glenys proved a natural spokesperson for this issue. She had recently come across a letter her grandfather had written, advising her what to do when faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge.

To read more about Art Jenkyns’ vision to rid the world of avoidable blindness, read Our Story.

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In Africa, however, I saw children with eye traumas caused by large razor-like acacia thorns, sharp splinters of firewood, poorly-aimed rocks and sticks thrown at animals… even misdirected footballs.

I met four-year old Ian in Kenya’s Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, where this appealing little fellow was recovering from an injury that almost cost him the sight in one eye. Watch his story on the following video photo essay.

And parents, you can help ensure your children’s eyes are protected from trauma by supplying well-fitted safety equipment during sports and recreational activities. Visit the University of Rochester (NY)’s Medical Centre for some useful eye safety tips.

The post A child’s brush with blindness appeared first on Operation Eyesight.