School eye screening is an important component of the NPCB (National Programme for the control of blindness) and Karnataka state Government. All the stakeholders involved in school eye screening have been screening school children in good numbers for last many years. Provision of spectacles is an integral part of the activity. DBCS (District Blindness Control Society) is providing spectacles free of cost to the children from primary section
PROJECT PARTNERS:
Essilor Vision Foundation and Government of Karnataka
NAYONIKA MAKALA NETRA is an initiative supplementing existing government program to lower visual impairment and betterment of Vision in Government and Aided school children. Project has served 7.5 lakhs children till date in the districts of Bellary, Koppal, Bidar and Bangalore with Distribution of 21,491 Free Spectacles to the needy children.
Nayonika Makala Netra is solitary synergy Model generated by Nayonika Eye Care Charitable trust where in project Manpower supported by Government of Karnataka , Designed and Managed by Nayonika Eye Care Charitable trust and Spectacles Donated by Essilor Vision Foundation.
Nayonika Makala Netra amplifying/supplementing existing Government model with value addition of efficiency and utmost utilization of Manpower to ensure we reach each and every child and serve with necessary eye health treatment.
Nayonika Makala Netra made a huge difference in 4 districts of Karnataka with serving over 5 lakhs children and on phases to be implemented across state to ensure Karnataka state with least eye health problems and a milestone to march state towards Avoidable Blindness Free State.
OBSERVATIONS FROM THE EXISTING MODEL
- School screening is not occurring in 100% schools.
- Prevalence rate of refractive error (What we reported is Corrected and we didn’t look at uncorrected- Overall prevalence includes both – however all the children in these schools are supposed to be corrected) among secondary schools turned out to be 2.17% against the national average of 7%.
- Utilization of spectacles after provision is only 30%. There is lot of time, energy and efforts going to waste in this activity.
- Very few students are using the spectacles for the whole day or for prolonged period of time. If the power of the spectacles is greater than 0.75%, the chances of being used for longer than one year are much higher.
Coherence of Nayonika Makala Netra:
- Initial screening to be conducted through Nayonika Vision Wall by School teachers.
- Nayonika Vision Wall is Self eye screening tool which will reduce the efforts of Optometrists/Refractionists by 80%.
- Bangalore East- Rammurthy Nagar is unique successful model where in 2812 Children were screened in 14 Government schools within 4 working days and able to distribute 132 Spectacles.
- Success model of Bangalore East to be replicated across Bangalore Urban and North Karnataka Districts in phases from 2020 on wards.
- Children identified with Refractive Errors would receive spectacles within 30 days from the time of Refraction till the time they wear spectacles.
- Children in school will be oblivious of eye problems until initial screening is conducted through Nayonika Vision Wall
- Nayonika Makala Netra will ensure that children would reach Zenith of their eye health and academic with their betterment of Vision.
SUCCESS STORIES
7.5 lakhs children till date in the districts of Bellary, Koppal, Bidar and Bangalore with Distribution of 21,491 Free Spectacles