According to a five-year study conducted by the U.S. National Eye Institute, myopia (nearsightedness) has caused significant vision impairment in more than 15% of Asian children under the age of fifteen. The same study also revealed that 50% of all cases of refractive error in school children remain undetected and uncorrected—half of the children who need glasses don't have them.
Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that half of the estimated 1.5 million blind children worldwide are found in Asia. However, more than 50% of childhood blindness is needless; it can be prevented or treated with low-cost and very effective interventions.
Sight for Kids (SFK) was born in view of this problem. In late 2002, Johnson & Johnson partnered with Lions Club International and established a community program that aims to prevent childhood blindness. The program's work include childrens' eye screenings (school, home, and medical office-based), treatment (spectacle provisions, surgeries), and eye health education.
The implementation of this program started in 2003 with screenings in four countries (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand). To date, SFK has screened more than 2.9 million children, referred more than 78,000 children, and trained more than 15,000 volunteers. This year, SFK targets to screen 2 million children and run seven programs in four countries (Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Korea), with an upcoming program to start very soon in the Philippines.
Since 1917, Lions Clubs International (LCI) has given people the opportunity to give something back to their communities. Today, with more than 45,000 clubs in 197 countries and geographical areas, LCI have expanded their focus to meet the ever-increasing needs of the global community.
LCI are recognized worldwide for their service to the blind and visually impaired. Its SightFirst program fights preventable and reversible blindness by building hospitals and clinics, training medical workers, distributing medicine and raising awareness of eye disease. One of LCI's unique qualities is its ability to mobilise thousands of volunteers and enlist support from Ministries of Healths (MOHs) and eye care communities.
Additionally, SFK benefits from strong national partnerships in countries with either MOHs, education authorities, and eye care advocacy organisations. These countries include:
Thailand
Bangkok Municipal Authority
Korat Institute
Simitive Hospital
Malaysia
Hospital Selayang
Hospital Kajang
Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah，Klang
Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Baru
Cochin, India
Little Flower Hospital & Research Centre, Angamaly
Medical College Hospital, Kolenchery
St. Johns Hospital, Kattappana
Mumbai, India
Mumbai Municipal Authority
Lion Tarachand Bapa Hospital
Haji Bachooali Hospital
Chembur Lions Hospital
Dahisar Lions Eye Hospital
Kolkata, India
Lions Howrah Hospital
Lions Adarsh Sraddha Hospital
Lions Bagh Bazar Institute of Ocular Sciences
Hyderabad, India
L.V. Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad
Dr. Ranga Reddy Lions Eye Hospital, Secunderabad
Sadhuram Lions Eye Hospital, Secunderabad
MS Reddy Lions Eye Hospital, Meerpet, Hyderabad
Dandoo Lions Eye Hospital, Secunderabad
Korea
Korean Foundation for the Prevention of Blindness （KFPB）
Philippines
Philippines General Hospital
Sight for Kids has also developed several tools to be used in the program, such as visual acuity chart books, matching cards (if the child being screened is too young to recognise numbers), and occluder with pinholes (for pinhole testing).
