Bills seek eye care for poor kids

Two lawmakers have filed bills that would gift proper and adequate eye care to children of all ages in the country’s poor communities.

Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas Rep. Camille Villar and North Cotabato Rep. Ma. Alana Samantha Santos separately filed House Bill Nos. 9583 and 7954, or the proposed Vision Care for Kids Act, which would task the Department of Health to give grants to localities and enable them to provide comprehensive eye examinations and treatments to children with eye problems in their areas.

Early detection

The existing national government vision screening program focuses on early detection of eye problems among Kindergarten pupils.

Santos cited a finding by the Philippine Eye Research Institute, which showed that 10 percent of Kindergarten-aged Filipino pupils have visual impairment, where four kids in a class of 40 had vision problems.

Santos stressed that the measure is aimed at “removing the barriers to child eye care in the Philippines and improving the quality of health of Filipino children.”

For her part, Villar pointed out in HB 9583, “The overall well-being, educational development, and productivity of children are greatly affected by their poor vision. Nevertheless, if detected and addressed at an early age, many visual impairments can be treated and further complications can be prevented.”

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