A record 43,666 eye screenings have been conducted and 1183 free custom prescription glasses dispensed under the Sai Prema Foundation’s Nationwide Free Eye Screening Camp.
The outreach has covered 83 schools across Ba, Lautoka, Nadi, Sigatoka, Suva and Nausori, as well as six rural villages in Nadi – Dratabu, Saunaka, Yavusania, Sikituru, Navatulevu and Narewa.
Founder of the US-based Anekant Community Centre (ACC) Dr Nitin Shah said clear vision was a basic human right.
“Being able to restore sight, prevent learning difficulties in children, and provide free eyeglasses to communities across Fiji is a deeply humbling experience for our international team,” he said.
The humanitarian initiative brings together a visiting international medical team from US-based ACC, optometrists from India, the Pacific Eye Institute, and teams from Sai Prema Foundation and Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Heart Hospital Fiji.
Director and CEO of Sanjeevani Heart Hospital Fiji Krupali Tappoo said taking specialists directly into villages and classrooms helping remove barriers to care.
She said the initiative also ensured children were not left behind because they could not afford an eye examination.
The screenings have highlighted a significant unmet need, with many adults and children found to have vision problems requiring prescription spectacles for reading, work and everyday activities.
Following the village outreach, teams moved into primary and secondary schools to detect refractive errors early and help children see clearly and reach their full educational potential.
A paediatric cardiac team also conducted echocardiograms alongside the eye camps in Western schools.
Meanwhile, more than 500 people lined up from early morning yesterday at the Sanjeevani Medical Centre in Nasese for the weekend Free Eye Vision Screening and Prescription Glasses Clinic.
Families travelled from Suva, Nausori, Sigatoka and Rakiraki to access the free service.
Ms Tappoo said she was moved with the turn out on Saturday morning.
“It has been deeply moving to see so many people arrive from early morning,” she said.
“No one should have to live with poor vision simply because they cannot afford care.”
The free clinic continues today, Sunday, from 8.30am to 3pm at the Sanjeevani Medical Centre in Nasese.
