BMC, Vision Foundation launch Bal Drishti to screen 3 lakh pupils in 1,200 Mumbai schools for eye defects

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the Vision Foundation of India have jointly launched a new initiative, 'Bal Drishti', so that children who fall behind in studies because they cannot see the board clearly can get eye treatment. It is described as the first initiative of its kind. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken the lead in the initiative.

Under the initiative, the target is to screen the eyes of three lakh students in 1,200 municipal schools within three years.

According to the initiative, more than 75 per cent of visual impairments can be prevented or corrected with treatment. 'Bal Drishti' focuses on identifying and treating refractive errors and is linked to the School Health and Wellness Programme run under Ayushman Bharat. It says children often cannot tell anyone that they are unable to see clearly. They show their trouble through behaviour such as slowly pulling back. But these signs are often mistaken for carelessness or lack of attention in studies. The initiative stresses identifying this condition in time and connecting students to treatment.

So far, 361 students have been given spectacles under the initiative. Students suspected of having an eye ailment are sent for a detailed examination to the Vision Foundation of India's community eye clinic on Tardeo Road. After this examination, it is decided whether spectacles, specialist treatment or surgery is needed. Parents are being kept in regular contact through home and school visits, and follow-up is being done until treatment is complete. So far, four students have had squint surgery.

Some serious eye defects have also come to light during the screening. One student was found to have myopia of minus 11.50 SPH in one eye, while in some students' reports it has reached minus 16 SPH. It has been stated that zero is considered normal vision measurement, and high myopia begins from minus 6. At this level, even objects a few centimetres away can appear blurred. One student has also been diagnosed with cataract.

The initiative also cites national figures. An estimated 93 lakh children in the country are said to be visually impaired. According to a 2022 study in the 'Indian Journal of Ophthalmology', childhood blindness causes an indirect loss of about Rs 1,300 crore to India's gross national income. Refractive error and amblyopia are cited as the main causes of childhood blindness, and more than 75 per cent of visual impairments can be prevented or corrected with treatment.