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RAWALPINDI, Mar 17 (APP):The General Manager of Al-Shifa Centre for Community Ophthalmology(ASCFO), Dr. Najam, said on Monday that during the financial year 2024-25, the ASCFO screened over 350,000 children at school screening camps.
Talking to the media, he said that Al-Shifa Trust (AST) issued a compelling call for mandatory eye screenings for all children at the time of their school admission.
Dr Najam stressed that the issue needs immediate attention to address the rising vision problems and early treatment was crucial to prevent vision loss rather than expensive medical interventions later.
He said that at least 50 to 60 per cent of school-going children suffer from different vision problems, however, if identified and treated early, these issues could be prevented from leading to serious eye diseases.
He added that many children remain undiagnosed due to a lack of awareness, financial constraints, and limited access to eye care and early detection and improved concentration and learning ability, significantly enhancing their prospects.
Dr Najam stressed that while many organizations actively provide eye care services to children, the magnitude of the problem calls for more concerted efforts, especially with the growing number of children due to the population explosion.
He said that the population of children in Pakistan was around 100 million, but current initiatives address only a small fraction of them for eye screening.
Dr Najam said that in many far-flung areas, as much as 50 per cent of the children suffer from eye problems, which was shocking as delayed intervention could lead to permanent vision loss in some cases.
“In some of the remote areas, fifty to sixty percent of the children were diagnosed with eye problems, including hazy vision, congenital cataracts, and myopia.”
He stated that the Al-Shifa Centre for Community Ophthalmology’s primary goal was to arrange school screening eye camps to assist children suffering from eye diseases and to inform them about preventive measures.
He informed that AST initiated its outreach project in 1992. Free eye camps were arranged throughout the country to assist individuals in the areas where the majority lacked the means to obtain quality healthcare.
He said that from 2013 to 2025, AST has served over 4.2 million eye patients and performed over 54 thousand surgeries.
The General Manager of ASCFO emphasized that eye-related issues were rising at a concerning rate; thus, public and private entities must enhance their efforts to address this challenge.
Dr Najam highlighted that many countries have successfully implemented school-based eye screening programs. These models, which have not only improved academic performance but also reduced vision-related disabilities, should inspire and motivate us to follow suit.