Nearly half of the students screened for undiagnosed eye conditions in one Manawatu school were referred for further treatment, while 31% of all students across the five schools screened were referred, reveal the latest results from the Essilor Vision Foundation screening programme.

To date, about 4000 Kiwi children have been screened by the charity since launching its screening initiative in New Zealand more than two years ago, with almost a third found to have a range of eyesight conditions. Manawatu, Taranaki and Wanganui are the most recent regions to be screened, with South Auckland next in line.

Helping in the Manawatu region were volunteers from Visique Eye Spy and Visique Naylor Palmer. “The work of the charity has made a real difference in the lives of thousands of these low decile school children who were living with undiagnosed vision conditions,” said Eye Spy optometrist Maile Tarsau.