194% surge in students needing glasses at one Sav school

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland — The number of children in need of prescription eyeglasses at one Westmoreland school has surged by about 194 per cent over the last three years, according to Dr Gary Anderson, director of the Lions of Michigan Vision Mission Team to Jamaica. However, he has indicated that this trend is not unusual. In 2023, his team saw 17-20 per cent of students at Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Institution needing medical glasses, in comparison to 50 per cent this year.

“There is a much higher percentage of need for glasses from when we were here three years ago, and that’s [because of] the environment, that’s doing a lot of close work, that’s genetics,” said Anderson. Principal of Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive Norda Louden registers an observation during the screening programme. “It’s not just one factor, it’s not anybody doing anything incorrectly, it’s just what’s going on; we see that really all over the world — a much higher rate.

We were just in India and China this past year, and in China, they have almost a 60 per cent rate of needing glasses. They do a lot of close work, a lot of computer work,” he added. The Sav school, which currently has a student population of 290, includes some with special needs.

With parental permission, more than 100 students participated in screening done at the school Wednesday. Staff also benefited from the expertise of the team of 22 doctors and a number of volunteers. It is part of a wider initiative in Jamaica, made possible through a partnership with the Issa Trust Foundation and Couples Resorts.

The programme provides free comprehensive eye care, prescription glasses, and diabetic eye screenings. Additional beneficiaries included staff and children of Couples Resorts in Negril (spanning Westmoreland and Hanover) and St Mary. Anderson noted that some of the children at Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive suffer from near- and far-sightedness, creating special difficulties for learning and classroom function.

He further explained that children with disabilities or other complications often experience a higher rate of visual problems, and the team hopes to continue providing service to those in need. Optometrist Dr Sherah Eavey examining the eyes of a Savanna-la-Mar Inclusive student on Wednesday during a screening programme conducted at the school by the Lions of Michigan Vision Mission Team to Jamaica.