Gen Z Launches Nayan Project to Educate on Early Colour Blindness Detection

Public awareness regarding the importance of early detection for colour blindness in Indonesia is considered to be relatively low. In response to this situation, the founder of Anak Cerah Indonesia (ACI), Celine Winarta (16), has launched the Nayan Project initiative.

The Nayan Project is a campaign and educational movement designed to increase public understanding of colour blindness from an early age. The inaugural programme was successfully held at SDN 0 Seribu Cicadas, Bandung City, on Monday (22/06/2026).

This initiative was realised through a collaboration between ACI, the Cicendo Eye Hospital (RS Mata Pusat Cicendo), and Panon Mahia Nusa. Celine explained that colour blindness, or colour vision deficiency, is the difficulty in distinguishing certain colours due to impairments in the cone cells of the retina.

The inspiration for the Nayan Project stemmed from Celine’s personal experience of having a friend with colour blindness since childhood.

“However, because it was detected early, my friend was able to live a normal life and develop well. Since then, I have been moved to take action,” Celine stated in her remarks on Wednesday (24/06/2026).

This motivation was further strengthened after Celine read the book ‘Nayan dan Misteri Warna’ by the President Director of Cicendo Eye Hospital, Dr Antonia Kartika. Moving forward, the Nayan Project hopes to reach other provinces and encourage BPJS Kesehatan to cover the costs of colour blindness testing.

Meanwhile, the President Director of Cicendo Eye Hospital, Dr Antonia Kartika, noted that the prevalence of colour blindness in Indonesia varies. Although the Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) recorded a figure of 0.7 per cent, several studies have found rates between 2 and 5 per cent among the school-age population.

“Therefore, parents and teachers need to understand early signs, such as children frequently misidentifying colours, struggling with lessons that use colour codes, or experiencing confusion when reading maps,” explained Dr Antonia.

She assessed that early detection is not intended to limit a child’s future. On the contrary, by knowing their condition from the start, children can adapt and develop their potential optimally.

“Awareness from an early age will ensure children understand that colour blindness is not a deficiency that hinders achievement, but rather a condition that can be managed with the right knowledge and strategies,” she added.

For information, the first Nayan Project activity was attended by approximately 200 participants, including students, teachers, and parents. ACI also partnered with stationery manufacturer Snowman to distribute gift sets to add joy to the children during their eye examinations.