In July, the HLE Cares team conducted an Eye Health Camp for the students of Jana Prabhat Secondary School, Soaltee Mode. This included an eye checkup followed by a short educational program regarding general eye care.

The main objective of the education program was to promote overall eye health by creating awareness regarding eye care and motivating and guiding students to undertake necessary preventive measures. Most importantly, students were taught to speak to their parents and seek eye care for related health problems.

Eye checkup

The team checked the vision of 20 young students and teachers. One child requires spectacles which will be provided free of cost and one student was referred to the National Eye Hospital for further counselling since he was diagnosed with corneal infections and convergence problems.

Looking at the results and positive response, HLE Cares will carry out the health camp for other students at the same school as well as other schools in remote areas.

Children and visual impairment issues in Nepal

The causes of childhood blindness varies among countries. In Nepal, it has been found that there is a 0.4/1000 prevalence rate of childhood blindness for which the main avoidable causes are:

• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Retinopathy of prematurity (which is increasing in major cities)
• Refractive errors
• Low vision (which includes visual impairment and blindness from untreatable causes)

It has been estimated that there are 30,240 blind and 120,000 visually impaired children in Nepal. According to figures from the Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS), three million children are in need of eye care services annually yet less than 500,000 receive the required treatment. Even the World Health Organisation has identified childhood blindness as one of the top priorities under it’s Vision 2020 initiative.

Studies have proven that children with disabled vision are disadvantaged in their education, employment and social lives. Childhood blindness is an even larger issue in Nepal since it often goes unnoticed as children do not tell their parents about it.

About Jana Prabhat Secondary School

Jana Prabhat Secondary School was established in 1951 and is located in Soaltee Mode, Kathmandu, Nepal. It is a government-aided community school with students from grades 1 to 10.

About HLE Cares

HLE Cares is a social initiative founded by Home Loan Experts in early 2014 with the aim of helping the less fortunate in Nepal.

Our objectives are to:

• Provide better educational facilities to local students
• Sponsor education and shelter for children whose parents cannot afford to do so
• Raise awareness about disability inclusion in Nepal.
• Encourage staff to engage in volunteer activities

If you would like to know more about our activities, ask a question in the comments sections below or follow us on Facebook.