GREATER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

While there are many barriers to education, vision loss should not be one. Half of sight loss in children can be easily prevented or treated, most often with nothing more than a pair of glasses. Glasses are one of the most effective health interventions for children, reducing the odds of failing a class by 44%. If inclusive and equitable education is critical to global development, then well-integrated, innovative strategies to address the growing need around child eye health is required. School eye health programmes, including sight screenings, referral systems and health promotion, are highly cost-effective to administer, and their benefits are significant – with potentially more than 700 million children throughout the world gaining access to crucial services. Prioritising the implementation of school eye health programmes will tackle the impact of rapid growth of vision impairment amongst children, help guarantee increased school attendance, educational attainment and enable long term social and economic opportunity by delivering clear vision.