In March Adopt-a-School Foundation and Dr Dire Thomas, travelled to Lesotho to fit spectacles to 26 children from four schools in the Morifi Village, about four hours south of Maseru, Lesotho’s capital city, on the Free State border.
The children in this village have never had access to this type of medial care and without this intervention from Adopt-a-School, may never have the opportunity to visit an optometrist. The difference that a pair of spectacles can make to a child’s schooling experience is immeasurable and is so often taken for granted. This simple gesture to help bring the chalkboard into focus can open up new worlds of opportunity.
662 pupils had their eyes screened. In addition to those that were provided with spectacles to improve their vision, four were provided with medication to address specific allergies.
Dr Dire trained four youth from the community in the fundamental techniques of vision screening and referral practices.
This is part of a broader effort by Adopt-a-School to up skill the school communities and promote sustainable development. Once spectacles are fitted, Dr Dire educates the children, their parents and teachers on how to properly care for their glasses. After three months, he will return to see how the spectacles have helped the children and if any additional care is required.
During the screening of the children in the Morifi village, a number of different conditions were identified, including Myopia, Hyperopia, Astigmatism and Anisometropia. These have been rectified through the prescription of spectacles
