Find bright eyes for me

The program "Children's Eyes" is an annual activity organized by the Provincial Children's Support Fund (BTTE) since 1997. Through the program, hundreds of children in the province with refractive defects have been cared for, supported with treatment and surgery to help them have bright, healthy eyes to study and play.

The Provincial Children's Fund in collaboration with the Provincial General Hospital organized the program "Children's Eyes", screening and early detection of eye diseases for nearly 1,000 primary school-age children and children with eye diseases in Quang Yen commune (Song Lo). Photo: Tra Huong

With the message "Giving light - Sowing hope", since 1997, the Provincial BTTE Fund has coordinated with medical units such as the Central Eye Hospital; Department of Ophthalmology, Hanoi Medical University Hospital, Provincial General Hospital... to organize the program "Children's eyes", performing free screening, vision measurement and identifying eye diseases for more than 20,000 children in the province. In particular, priority is given to treatment and free surgery support for hundreds of children from 0 to under 16 years old in difficult circumstances, children of poor households, near-poor households with eye defects such as ptosis, cataracts, bulging eyes, strabismus, glaucoma...

To effectively implement the program, every year, the Provincial BTTE Fund coordinates with districts and cities to review and make a list of children aged 0 to under 16 with eye defects to register for examination. By 2021, with the goal of helping primary school-age children detect eye diseases early and receive timely care and treatment, the Provincial BTTE Fund has coordinated with the People's Committees of communes, wards and towns to organize eye disease screening for children right at school.

During the examinations, children are examined by doctors and nurses and treatment plans are developed for each specific case. At the same time, children and parents are guided and advised on how to care for, protect and detect eye diseases early.

For cases that are prescribed by doctors for treatment, a list will be compiled, the records completed and surgery performed during the summer vacation, ensuring that children can start the new school year with healthy eyes, confident in learning and developing.

In addition to receiving free surgery, the children are also supported by the Provincial BTTE Fund for travel expenses during the pre- and post-surgery process and part of the accommodation costs during the treatment at the hospital. In addition, some children are advised by doctors to wear glasses and practice amblyopia, the unit will also consider giving glasses to cases with especially difficult circumstances.

Le Minh Lua, born in 2012, in Kim Xa commune (Vinh Tuong), has had droopy eyelids since childhood, affecting her vision and facial aesthetics. Poor eyesight has caused Lua many difficulties in daily life and study. Due to difficult family circumstances, her parents do not have stable jobs and low income, she cannot afford surgery. In 2023, after being examined at the "Children's Eyes" program, she was deemed eligible for surgery by doctors from the Department of Ophthalmology, Provincial General Hospital.

Le Minh Lua's mother shared: "For many years, my child has had to live with an inferiority complex and low self-esteem due to his deformed eyes. The family did not have the means to take him for treatment, so when we heard that he received financial support for eye surgery, my family was very happy and grateful to the Provincial BTTE Fund and the benefactors."

Dr. Tran Van Ha, Head of the Ophthalmology Department, Provincial General Hospital said: “Currently, the rate of children with refractive errors is increasing. The main causes are incorrect sitting posture, reading in low-light environments, frequently using electronic devices for long periods of time; not meeting adequate nutrition and essential vitamins; stressful and continuous study time...

In cases where refractive errors have been diagnosed, doctors will guide and advise families to take their children to reputable facilities for in-depth examinations, measure and cut glasses according to the eye condition; remind families to have regular check-ups and have a scientific lifestyle and study regimen, and increase outdoor activities to protect eye health.

In addition to the support of medical facilities, many businesses and sponsors also actively support this activity. Typically, Optical Store No. 1, Lien Bao Ward (Vinh Yen); Truong Phuc Eye Hospital - Branch of Vinh Phuc Eye Hospital Joint Stock Company, Lien Bao Ward (Vinh Yen) ... have given hundreds of glasses to children with refractive errors from poor households, near-poor households and families in difficult circumstances.

The program "Children's Eyes" is one of the annual programs of the Provincial BTTE Fund to protect and bring light to children, especially children in rural areas, children in difficult circumstances, children from poor and near-poor households.

Continuing the achieved results, in 2025, the Provincial BTTE Fund will coordinate with medical units to examine and prescribe surgery for 150 - 200 children with eye defects, support surgery costs for 35 - 40 children; mobilize sponsors to support and give eyeglasses to about 30 children.

Huong Giang

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/128496/Tim-lai-doi-mat-sang-cho-em