“Our Eyes are made up of over 200 million working parts. Each Eye contain 107 million cells and all are light sensitive”

Proper vision and healthy eyes are necessary for proper and timely growth; visual problems can lead to developmental and cognitive delays.

The number of blinds in India is estimated to be 12 million, out of which 9.2 million are children. The worst part is about 75% are such cases can be avoidable either they can be treated or prevented. The prime reason is the extreme shortage of Optometrists and lack of awareness on the protection of our eyes.

SHARP is working extensively from the last two decades in the field of school health. Our team had worked extensively in the primary and secondary sector and now entering into the tertiary sector to make a positive impact in the lives of children. Eye screening had always been an integral part of various projects in SHARP.

We are running a project EARLY INTERVENTION OF CHILDHOOD DISABILITIES under the CSR initiative of a consulting firm Xceedance. Under this we conducted successfully eye screening of 800 underprivileged children in Gurgaon. The camp was held in government school of rural Gurgaon. A specialized team of doctors comprising two optometrist and technician were involved in the camp.

After the camp Team SHARP provided free spectacles to the children who were diagnosed with partial blindness. 253 students were given free spectacles after the screening.

The objective of this project is to make a change or to see positive impact in the lives of children to initiate, augment and intensify action against the causes of disabilities for which there is an existing potential for prevention and control. Awareness session was conducted where children were made aware about taking care of eyes for better eye health. These were major tips and points which were discussed-

• Eat Healthy- Vitamin C & E might help improving vision related problem.
• Quit Smoking- It increases the possibilities of cataracts and also damages optic nerves.
• Give eye break from the computer screen
• Regular visit to an eye doctor (within 3 to 6 months)

Team

SHARP NGO