Insist on eye-fitness certificate for students at the entry level, say Ophthalmologists

A nursing assistant of Sankara Eye Hospital conducts an eye test on a student of AKTP Municipal Corporation High School in Vijayawada. Photo: V. Raju

The Orissa State Opthalmological Society (OSOS) has urged the State government to introduce eye-fitness certificate for every student at the time of admission in schools.

“The programme can detect the defectiveness of sight of a child at the early stage and also help to rectify early,” said president of the OSOS R C Meher here.

Presently the government is conducting eye tests of school students through the school eye screening programme.

In some other States it is mandatory to produce the eye-fitness certificate during the admission of a student, he pointed out.

“We have decided to write to both the school and mass education and the health departments to introduce this system to ameliorate childhood blindness in the State,” he said.

Mr. Meher was addressing a medical education programme organised the Association of Community Ophthalmologists of India (ACOI) yesterday.

“Since small children can’t know about defects in their eyes, screening of sight should be made before their admission,” the OSOS official said.