Comprehensive eye health program to screen children for vision impairment and refractive errors in Sundargarh District, Odisha, India.

This will be a prospective, community-based, cross-sectional study of a comprehensive eye health program aimed at screening children for vision impairment and refractive errors in Sundargarh District, Odisha, India.

The study will commence only after receiving IEC approval.

Rationale for the present study:

School eye health programs effectively reach a larger number of children and offer opportunities to identify and intervene in sight-threatening eye conditions. This project aims to screen children attending Anganwadi centers, daycare/preschools, and mainstream schools in Sundargarh district, Odisha, India.

All children attending Anganwadi centers, daycare/preschools, and mainstream schools in Sundargarh district will be included.

Schools that do not permit or have not consented to participation will be excluded.

Study Procedure

After obtaining informed consent from parents and assent from children, and approval from the head authorities of the premises, the study will begin.

a) Trained field workers will screen children’s vision using E-cards and the Snellen chart, while classroom teachers will help identify visual issues such as glare sensitivity, squinting, nystagmus, and difficulty seeing or copying from the board.

b) Secondary screening and detailed assessment include: 1. Auto-refractor, 2. Trial frames and lenses for subjective correction, and 3. Retinoscope for further confirmation.

c) Spectacle prescription and dispensation.

d) Spectacle delivery by a field worker.

e) Teacher orientation: Teachers will be trained to observe, refer, and keep records of students’ compliance with spectacle use.

f) Regular follow-ups will be conducted by field workers to ensure ongoing spectacle use.

g) Children with complex conditions requiring medical or surgical intervention will be referred to secondary centers.