IPOH: In conjunction with World Sight Day, a total of 120 pupils of SJK (T) Kg Simee had their eyes screened for any defects at the school hall on Oct 9.
The programme was organised by Persatuan Kebajikan Amal Makmur Negeri Perak with the cooperation of the Perak State Education Department.
Professional staff of Vista Eye Specialist Centre were on hand to conduct the screenings.
The advisor of Eye Screening Programme for Students in Perak, Datuk Dr Jasvinder Singh, an opthalmologist, stressed on the need for screening to detect any problems.
He said students are not aware that they have sight defects, contributing to their poor academic results,.
“They are intelligent but due to poor eyesight these students fail to excel.
“Then there are gadgets like iPads and handphones which cause these youngsters to suffer from problems of far-sightedness,” he added.
Jasvinder said the event was aimed at promoting awareness on eye health among schoolchildren, highlighting the importance of regular vision screening and preventive eye care in line with this year’s theme for World Sight Day, which is “Love Your Eyes at Work and School”.
“It was a meaningful collaboration between the education, health and community welfare sectors, working together to safeguard the vision and future of our young generation,” he said.
K. Nachemuthu, the project manager for the programme, said pupils who are screened would be referred to the hospital depending on the results of their tests.
Meanwhile, the department’s principal assistant director for special education, Ahmad Maswan Ahmad Fuaad, who represented the State Education Department director at the event, said students are often labelled as “lazy” or
“not focussed”.
“This is not the case as their problem is due to poor eyesight and as such they cannot concentrate on their studies,” he said.
Ahmad Maswan praised the association for organising the programme and hoped that more schools would be included in the future.
Since 2022, some 20,000 students from 100 schools across Perak have been screened under the programme.
