Visual impairment remains a health problem that is often overlooked,\nparticularly in school-age children. The ability to see properly\nsignificantly affects the learning process, concentration, and a child\u2019s\ndevelopment within an educational environment. Limited access to eye\ncare services, along with the cost of examinations and purchasing\nglasses, are challenges still faced by some communities. As a result,\nmany vision problems are only detected when the condition is already\nsevere and begins to affect daily activities.<\/p>\n
As part of efforts to improve public access to health services, PT\nPerusahaan Gas Negara (PGN), a Gas Subholding of Pertamina, organised a\nfree eye examination and glasses distribution programme for 300\nbeneficiaries from schools and communities around the company\u2019s\noperational areas. The activity, held at PGN\u2019s Head Office in Jakarta,\nis part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme called\nCAKRA (Health Check for the People) and marks PGN\u2019s 61st anniversary\ncelebrations.<\/p>\n
Examinations uncovered several vision disorder cases requiring\nspecial attention. One student was found to have severe myopia, with a\nprescription of minus 17, while another participant had vision problems\nin one eye. There was also a student who had been wearing glasses with a\nminus 1 prescription, but after examination, it was discovered their\nvision had deteriorated to minus 6. These findings indicate that some\nmembers of the public still lack routine eye examinations or vision aids\nthat match their current condition.<\/p>\n
PGN\u2019s Corporate Secretary, Fajriyah Usman, stated that the programme\nis part of the company\u2019s commitment to helping improve the quality of\nlife for communities, especially school-age children. She noted that eye\nhealth is a crucial aspect that directly influences learning abilities\nand daily activities. \u2018From today\u2019s screening results, we see there are\nstill many children experiencing quite serious vision problems who have\nnot received adequate treatment due to financial constraints. This\ncondition can certainly affect their learning process and quality of\nlife. Therefore, we hope the glasses provided can help them learn more\ncomfortably and with greater confidence,\u2019 Fajriyah said.<\/p>\n
She explained that the eye examination and free glasses programme is\npart of a broader series of health services under the CAKRA programme.\nPreviously, PGN had also conducted basic health checks for communities\nin three of its operational regions, reaching 500 people in SOR I, 560\nin SOR II, and 550 in SOR III, bringing the total number of basic health\nservice beneficiaries reached through the programme to 1,610 people.\n\u2018Through this programme, we hope to help improve the community\u2019s health\nstandards while raising awareness about the importance of regular health\ncheck-ups,\u2019 Fajriyah added.<\/p>\n
The Head of SDN Cideng 7, Ratna Suminar, expressed appreciation for\nthe programme, stating it helped students who had not received optimal\naccess to eye health checks due to their families\u2019 economic limitations.\n\u2018We are very grateful to PGN for organising this programme. For some\nstudents and parents, eye examinations or purchasing glasses are not\neasy because they require significant costs. Through this programme,\nchildren can learn about their eye health condition and receive suitable\nglasses so they can study more comfortably and optimally at school,\u2019\nsaid Ratna.<\/p>\n
A similar sentiment was shared by the Head of the Al Mubarok\nFoundation, Henny Setiyani. She felt the programme greatly assists\npeople with limited access to eye health services. \u2018This programme is\nvery helpful because it provides a solution where the benefits are\ndirectly felt by the students and their families. We saw very high\nenthusiasm from participants and hope activities like this can continue\nso that more children can be helped,\u2019 Henny stated. Through this\nprogramme, PGN hopes to boost public awareness of the importance of eye\nhealth while helping more children gain a more comfortable and optimal\nlearning experience through better access to health services.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/childrens-learning-achievement-often-hindered-by-eye-health-access-1780663907", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }