Glimpses 2009-2010.pdf - LV Prasad Eye Institute

Putting children first
It began with headaches, and then went on to poor
performance at school. Soon Vikranth was on a
downward spiral, losing his academic standing in
class and then his motivation. Concerned, his father
approached the local LVPEI clinic at Kismatpur and
requested them to conduct a screening program at
Vikranth’s school. Vikranth and a few other schoolmates
were found to have refractive error and were given
free spectacles. Vikranth slowly regained his confidence
and his performance in school improved. Under the
Nimmagadda Prasad Children’s Eye Health Initiative,
ICARE routinely conducts such school screening
programs and several children like Vikranth benefit from
the issue of free spectacles or are referred for further
care if they are found to have other eye conditions.
Swathi reads to a proud grandmother
In collaboration with the Lions Clubs International Foundation and with supplementary funding from
Johnson & Johnson, LVPEI has been implementing the Sight for Kids program in AP state. Swathi, aged
7, is one of the beneficiaries of the program. Her mother is part of the housekeeping staff of a premier
high school near their home, and Swathi goes to the local government school. “I could not see anything
on the blackboard but I didn’t tell my parents,” she confesses. A screening program conducted by
LVPEI in her school revealed a high degree of refractive error, something her parents would not have
expected in such a young child. “Today I can see clearly with my new spectacles; I am so happy because
I can do my lessons well!”
A technician and his vision
S
Narahari is from a village near Mudhol in Adilabad district. He has been working as a Vision Technician
(VT) at the Vision Centre at Indervelli since November 2005, serving the tribal populations of the
region. The Vision Centre was established with support from the Lions Club of Indervelli, which had
pledged to pay for the rent. However, because of the remoteness of the location, it was very difficult
to retain Vision Technicians, and within a year of its establishment, four VTs had come and gone.
Interviews with the local population revealed that one of the main problems was that the VTs recruited
were not from the local communities. When Narahari was recruited, he quickly understood the root
problem and decided to learn the local language. In order to better learn the language and culture, he
travelled extensively through the area, visiting and getting to know local opinion leaders and government
functionaries and building relationships with other health workers.
Says Narahari, “I know every panchayat head, every single Auxiliary Nurse Midwife, Primary Health
Centre staff and schoolteacher of the 15 administrative units of Indervelli mandal. I maintain a register
with the details of each village demographics (population size), village maps, and mobile numbers of all
stakeholders and key informants.”
Narahari worked with the local self help groups to conduct community screening programs, worked
through schools to institute screening programs for children, and roped in local functionaries and
opinion leaders to spread the word on eye health. Attendance at the Vision Centre rose dramatically,
and Narahari began to be perceived as an important member of the local community.
Excellence Equity Efficiency Page 24
F_Inside_Pgs.indd 24
9/2/2010 12:29:47 PM