The Lions club of Tokai together with Jonga Trust has established a new eye care program.  The eye care program focuses on eye screening and supply of spectacles for young children under the age of six, living in disadvantaged areas of Cape Town, South Africa.

The program identifies the young children who are in need of eye care such as refractive error or eye pathology. The program ensures the children are refracted by qualified Optometrists, trained in paediatric care and supply the appropriate prescription spectacles.  In cases where eye pathology is present, the children are referred for specialist paediatric care to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital Eye Unit. At the same time, eye health education on the importance of caring for their eyes, is given in their home language.

To date 1050 children have been screened and of these a 125 children was refracted by Optometrists and given spectacles by Jonga Trust.  Another 7 of these children was diagnosed with eye pathology and was referred to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital eye unit for specialist eye care.

I can see well now, thank you for my new glasses!  One of the luck pre-schoolers who received her very first pair of glasses, generously sponsored by Jonga Trust benefactors.   Thank you!

Above is a picture of one of the pre school children whom Jonga Trust identified with a large eso squint, during one of the routine eye screening sessions conducted in crèches in Kayelitsha.  She was referred on to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital where she will get treatment for her squint.

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Jonga Trust not only provides eye screening and glasses but also focuses on eye health education.  Here a group of young children are educated about their eyes and how they should look after their sight by one of the Jonga eye screen workers.