Maharashtra Screens 20 Lakh Govt School Students For Eye Problems

The Maharashtra School Education Department has signed a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust and OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation to conduct eye screenings of students in government schools.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse.

Under the project, eye examinations will be conducted for 20 lakh students studying in Classes 5 to 10 in government schools across Maharashtra. The School Education Department will implement the project, while Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust will serve as the implementation partner and OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation as the technical partner.

Students found to have refractive errors or other vision-related needs and deemed eligible will be provided prescription spectacles free of cost by the partner organisations.

The MoU will remain in force for 36 months, during which eye-screening camps will be organised across the state. The progress of the project will be monitored and evaluated regularly through quarterly reports covering the number of screening camps conducted, beneficiaries screened, spectacles distributed, and other project-related parameters.

The project builds on an earlier programme that has been running since 2019. According to the School Education Department, more than 6.8 lakh students from 800 schools across 18 districts have been screened under the initiative so far, with over 63,000 spectacles distributed.

The government expects the expanded programme to facilitate early detection and treatment of eye-related problems among schoolchildren. Free spectacles for students requiring vision correction are also expected to help address difficulties in classroom learning arising from poor vision.

The initiative is a significant step towards improving eye health among schoolchildren in Maharashtra. By providing free spectacles to those in need, the government aims to help students overcome vision-related difficulties and perform better in school.

The project's focus on early detection and treatment of eye-related problems is also expected to have long-term benefits for the students' overall health and well-being.

In conclusion, the Maharashtra government's initiative to screen 20 lakh government school students for eye problems and provide free spectacles to those in need is a commendable step towards improving eye health and education outcomes in the state.