KUALA LUMPUR: Findings from the Mata Hati Wilayah programme screening have revealed a worrying trend of vision problems among schoolchildren.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said according to the statistics obtained so far, 58.2 per cent of the 2,077 students screened since the programme began last June were found to have blurry vision.

“During the screening, a Year 1 student was discovered to have quite poor eyesight, which he was unaware of. This will definitely impact his learning.

“If this issue is not addressed early, they might lag in their learning,” she said when officiating the closing of the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory-Level SPM Excellence Seminar at the International Islamic University Malaysia here today.

Dr Zaliha said the Mata Hati Wilayah programme is part of the Program Usaha Jaya Insan (PUJI) initiative, aimed at addressing eye health issues among primary school students across the Federal Territories.

Among the schools selected to participate in the programme are Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Bukit Pantai, SK Desa Tasik, SK Setiawangsa, and SK Wangsa Maju Seksyen 1.