Sankara Nethralaya holds myopia awareness week

Children and parents participated in the celebrations held from Nov 14 to 20

Sankara Nethralaya organised a National Myopia Awareness Week to mark Children’s Day celebrated on Nov. 14.  

In the past 20 years the prevalence of myopia or shortsightedness, a childhood eye condition, has increased owing to mostly lifestyle factors such as fewer outdoor activities and more near activities among children, said Kavitha Kalaivani, deputy director in the Department of Peadiatric Ophthalmology.  

“We organised the National Myopia Awareness week from the 14th to 20th November. The celebrations began with cake cutting ceremony that attended by the hospital’s chairman T. S. Surendran who is also the director of peadiatric ophthalmology department and paediatric ophthalmologist Sumita Agarkar. 

Children participated in competitions such as slogan writing, painting, meme creation competition. There were question and answer sessions for parents on eye health, dietary implications of eye conditions, stigma associated with spectacle use, peer pressure for children, myths and beliefs related to spectacle use and awareness about non-scientific treatment options.  

Published - November 27, 2024 12:48 am IST