A non-profit organization in Osun State, Community Advancement Initiative for Self Reliance, has launched free eye care to cater for the eye health of 50,000 children in the state in which 5,000 will get free eyeglasses.
Speaking during the launching in Osogbo, the state capital, the Executive Director of CAI4SR, Eni Ayeni, said the programme is supported by Essilor-Social Impact Fund and it was aimed at reducing uncorrected visual impairment as a result of refractive error among school children.
The launching was done in strict compliance with COVID-19 safety guidelines and other stakeholders join online.
Ayeni said children drawn from 15 Local Government Areas in the State will partake and urged parents to bring their children from age 0 to 16 to benefit from the programme.
She noted that many parents are in the habit of applying harmful substances on the eyes of their children without consulting eye care professionals.
She warned that such habit was delicate as it could cause serious damage to the eyes of the children and truncate their education and thereby hinder them from achieving their full potential in life.
The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rafiu Isamotu, said children’s eye health cannot be taken with levity and assured that it would be adequately captured in the state’s policy
One of the beneficiaries of the free eye screening, Omowumi Oyewale, who spoke after her check up, pleaded with parents to take the advantage of the free eye health programme to know the status of their children’s eyes and act promptly to preserve their sight.
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