By Violet Li
Cranbourne East Primary School has received 89 glasses from the non-profit organisation State Schools Relief (SSR).
SSR, in partnership with the State Government, is delivering an expanded Glasses for Kids program from 2024-2027, aiming to remove vision impairment as a potential barrier to educational engagement for disadvantaged students.
Martina Owen, business manager of Cranbourne East Primary School, shared that about 70 per cent of the students were screen-tested for the glasses and 89 glasses were prescribed following the optometrists’ visit to the school, which was 23 per cent of the students screen-tested.
Acting principal Stephen Bourbon said the glasses were a game-changer for the students.
“They weren’t able to learn to their very best ability without these glasses,” he said.
“We’re really proud of our community for taking out the opportunity.”
In research conducted by SSR, it was revealed that over 56 per cent of parents of disadvantaged prep students had expressed concerns about their child’s eyesight but did not attend a vision service, and approximately 83 per cent of prep students had not been seen by an optometrist in more than 12 months.
Optometry Australia has highlighted the need for early screening in children for myopia (short-sightedness), which develops from a young age and affects around 6.3 million Australians.
According to its 2022 Vision Index report, one in five children in Australia have an undetected vision problem.
The ‘Glasses for Kids’ program aims to identify these problems through initial vision screening, which will occur in 770 mainstream and specialist schools across the state and target 108,000 students from Prep to Year 3.
It is projected that over the course of the three-year program, over 64,000 students will participate in screening, with a further 27,000 comprehensive eye tests conducted, and over 16,000 pairs of glasses distributed at no cost to the students or their families.
Acting chief executive officer of SSR Anshika Heritage took great pride in the opportunities that the Glasses for Kids program provided.
“This is an essential program that addresses vision impairment as a barrier to education, ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to fully participate in learning from an early age,” she said.
