Comm Eye Health Vol. 30 No. 98 2017 pp 44. Published online 07 September 2017.

Key community eye health messages

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A comprehensive school eye health programme:

Smiling Indian school children
© Priya Morjaria
  • Should be integrated into a broader school health programme
  • Requires a goal that will result in positive change
  • Must have the engagement of the ministries of health and education
  • Needs ’SMART’ objectives for each component of the programme

A key issue in a school eye health programme is that children may not wear their spectacles.

School girl looking at her appearance in a mirror whilst trying on spectacles, she is smiling.
© Priya Morjaria
  • Parents should understand why a child needs spectacles
  • The child’s vision must improve with correction
  • The child must feel comfortable wearing spectacles and like the frames
  • The spectacles should be affordable
  • Teachers should encourage children to wear their glasses

A school eye health programme requires careful planning, with a goal and specific objectives which address:

School teacher, wearing spectacles, with her arm around a young boy's shoulders, leaning in to hear what he is saying.
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  • School children with refractive errors and other eye conditions
  • Teachers who may themselves have refractive errors or other eye conditions
  • Broader eye health education: children can act as ‘agents of change’ in their families and communities