New Jerusalem learners have their eyes tested

To ensure learners’ and members of the community’s vision is taken care of, New Jerusalem Children’s Home partnered with OneSight Essilor Luxottica Foundation
as part of the World Sight Week celebrated on October 12.

The initiative took place from October 9 to 13 at the home where 759 people were tested.
The country manager of OneSight, Lameez Eksteen said 481 people would be given spectacles for free. She said the aim was to see at least 1 000 people, with the key focus on children including learners from surrounding schools, teachers and community members.

Eksteen added there were about 2.6b people in the world who were struggling with refractive errors. “And all they need is a pair of glasses to change their lives. So in South Africa, we have two modules of doing this. One is charitable clinics held monthly in various provinces. The second module is to work with the government with the hope that they can make care needs more accessible and possibly free. It is World Sight Week, so we want to create awareness about the importance of screening your eyes and finding solutions for you.”

The home’s manager, Hopkins Kaira said they realised that some of their children were struggling to read because they could not see properly.
“This is a very good initiative by OneSight. They came here and we did not have to go out to them. This will be helpful for some of our learners who were struggling to read and did not know if they had problems with their vision,” added Kaira.

A community member who was tested, Colleen Ernest said, “This initiative is convenient, free and reachable. But most importantly, is that the treatment and the service are done with respect and humanity… and the testing is for free.”

OneSight is a global public non-profit organisation which provides sustainable access to quality vision care and eyewear to those who cannot afford spectacles or those who do not have access to proper eye care.

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