Society of Friends offers eye tests
Did you know that poor eyesight causes students to perform poorly in school? The problem is aggravated when their families cannot afford to get the help they need. However, through the help of the Religious Society of Friends some girls at the Sadie Vernon High School are receiving an early Christmas gift: a free eye examination and glasses.
The students took time out from their regular schedule to undergo a battery of tests.
Q: “Are you feeling nervous as you wait for your turn?”
Candice Bodden, Student
“Yes, I am really nervous.”
Q: “Why?”
Candice Bodden
“Because I heard that they are dropping some eye drops in your eyes, itching your eyes.”
Q: “Making you feel uncomfortable?”
Candice Bodden
“Yes.”
Q: “But you do understand the importance of the program?”
Candice Bodden
“Yes I do understand.”
Q: “What do you think about it?”
Candice Bodden
“What I like about it, they seem really good and everything.”
It is the first time the Friends are providing medical assistance to Belize. The society focuses primarily on education and has established a Boys School in Belize City for high-risk youth. For this project, they invited Dr. Mike Mangas, a fellow member and certified Optometrist.
Dr. Mike Mangas, Optometrist
“Probably the most surprising thing about the cases I have seen so far is that there are not nearly as many children that require glasses in Belize that I am used to in the United States. I would say about fifty percent of the children I see in the United States have bad eyes and need glasses to see far away.”
Mangas, who has been at the school since Tuesday, will see a total of two hundred and ten students. Following the examinations, the prescriptions will be taken back to the United States where a team of eye glass specialists will manufacture the glasses. The eyewear will then be shipped back to Belize and distributed.
Amira Awe-Bodden, Acting Principal
“We are very grateful. I am sure as is the general opinion this kind of service is very expensive and is an invaluable service to us at this time.”
Rosemarie Cadle, Student
“Well, I don’t really have problems in seeing the chalk on the board but my problem is like with the lights, the sun and things like that.”
Some students did not require glasses but displayed symptoms of eye diseases. Mangas says he suggest these children should be monitored and examined every two to three years.
Dr. Mangas says he is considering a return visit. The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired also conducts similar programs in primary schools.
