The African Eye Institute (AEI), established in 2000, is a non-profit organisation whose team of dedicated staff work to reduce avoidable blindness and vision impairment caused by refractive errors and other eye deficiencies.
Through generous donations and partnerships, AEI is able to support the delivery of free, quality eye health services – including eye health awareness, eye tests, examinations and spectacles – to poor, vulnerable and marginalised communities, with a particular focus on school-going children.
According to the institute an estimated 1 billion people globally suffer from unchecked, yet preventable visual impairments, with around 12,8 million children affected by refractive error. “The provision of spectacles to children results in better school performance, accompanied by a decreased rate of repeated grades and school dropout rates. In many impoverished families vision impairment in children is overlooked because of little or no access to eye health services and interventions such as spectacles.
Often putting food on the table is prioritised over additional healthcare costs.
“Many children are struggling academically and socially due to vision impairment, which can often be easily corrected with spectacles. AEI aims to intervene early to prevent further complications,” reads a statement from the institution.
Learning through vision
According to Razia Samson, spokesperson for the organisation, around 80% of learning is achieved through vision alone. “Undetected eye problems can be detrimental to academic success,” she said, “and we need to ensure our children have the best chance at succeeding. The African Eye Institute (AEI) is preventing vision impairments in children through ‘One School at a Time’ – a vision screening programme for identifying eye issues and dispensing free spectacles.”
The children at The Hague Primary School were the latest beneficiaries.
“There was so much excitement from those who received spectacles – most of whom are using glasses for the first time. Their new glasses will undoubtedly help them perform better in their exams and further studies,” says Samson.
To join this good cause go to https://www.backabuddy.co.za/one-school-at-a-time
