A total of 1,200 schoolchildren in Perak will receive free new spectacles as a result of the Perak Foundation’s collaboration with Persatuan Kebajikan Amal Makmur Negeri Perak and District Education Offices (PPD).
State Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports Committee chairman Khairudin Abu Hanipah said eye examinations will be carried out at selected schools in the state involving recipients from families in the low-income group (B40).
He said this initiative targets 100 students in each of the 12 districts across the state who are less fortunate, orphans, asnaf including the poor with vision problems.
Khairudin said the first phase this year started in the Perak Tengah district involving 20 schools, with the Persatuan Kebajikan Amal Makmur Negeri Perak going to the selected schools to conduct eye examinations.
“The names of the beneficiaries selected to receive the benefits of the programme are from the PPD according to the criteria set and the Perak Foundation channels the aid according to the results of the eye examination report issued,” he said when met after the launching ceremony of the 2023 School Students Eye Examination Project at the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Muhammad Shah here today.
Also present at the ceremony were Persatuan Kebajikan Amal Makmur Negeri Perak secretary K. Nachemutu and Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun Ipoh (HRPB) ophthalmologist Datuk Dr Jasvindar Singh.
Khairudin said such incentives need to be intensified due to the fact that there are students who cannot afford the facility, thus affecting their studies.
“We do not want students to drop out of the learning process because of their short-sighted eye condition so these (eye) examinations are an early preventive measure for our children to ensure they are comfortable during the learning sessions,” he said.
Therefore, he said this programme is also aimed at empoweing the community to improve the quality of students through education as well as helping the less fortunate.
Meanwhile, Dr Jasvindar said between 10 and 13 per cent of schoolchildren in Perak are facing ‘refractive errors’ such as short-sightedness, near-sightedness and astigmatism (imperfection in the curvature of the eye).
He said from the outside, the patient’s eye may seem normal but actually the patient is facing a problem that needs to be treated immediately.
“Most students are now exposed to the risk of far-sightedness because during online learning sessions, almost all students use gadgets and lack outdoor activities. Our eyes need a comprehensive perspective and not just to focus on an object because it will affect our eyes,” he added.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
