When a child cannot see well, it often has difficulty learning. If a blackboard picture is not recognized, a child switches off and loses concentration. In Myanmar, there are no initial examinations of children at school. Visual impairments often go undetected. Children, parents and teachers usually do not know whether a child does not see well and therefore cannot follow the lessons.
The German Eyesight Project (GEP) executes vision tests on 5 to 8-year-old children and provides them with glasses or ophthalmological treatment free of charge if necessary.
During the first project phase (2017/2018) around 1.000 children were enrolled in nine monastic schools in Mandalay/Myanmar and the surrounding area.
In the second phase of the project (2019/2020), more than 500 children were tested at several schools, 28 teachers and nurses were trained in eye testing and a collaboration with MEENT Hospital Mandalay was started to provide children with glasses, medicine and surgery.
News:
The project phase was from December 2019 to February 2020. We focussed on the this three items:
- Initial tests of the 5 - 8-year-old children for visual acuity.
- Follow-up examinations of the previously examined children with visual impairment and examination of the eyesight of the spectacle wearers.
- Training of teachers on site Preparation of handouts and provision of examination materials so that the local teachers can carry out the eye examinations independently.