(Seychelles News Agency) - The third phase of free eye exams for students in all state schools on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue islands started on Friday in a primary school on the archipelago's main island.

Around 400 students from Anse Etoile primary school on Mahe were the first to be screened in a campaign organised by the Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles, a branch of Lions Club International, in collaboration with the Ministries of Health and Education.

Jacqueline Jeannevole, spoke to SNA while watching her child get examinated.

“As a parent I'm happy because going to an eye clinic is costly and this is a good opportunity for the children,” said Jeannevole, the mother of a primary four student at Anse Etoile School.

A 4-year-old student told SNA that he enjoyed having his eyes tested and wasn't scared of the process.

The screenings found that 65 students from Anse Etoile school have eye problems and will need glasses. The next school to be screened will be La Retraite primary school also in the northeastern part of Mahe.    

Some 16,000 students are expected to be screened through March.  

While the screening was taking place, Zone Chair of Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles, Siva Pillay, and R. Kishorg Kumar of Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, signed an agreement to provide free screening to all school children. 

The signing of the MoU between R.Kishorg Kumar, from Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital and Siva Pillay, the Zone Chairman of Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles at the Anse Etoile School, Friday morning. ( Louis Toussaint, Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY

Under the agreement all pupils detected with eye and vision problems will receive consultations at a special fee of $3.50. Glasses will be sold under a special package for $24.

The Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles said in a press statement that school-age children may have an eye problem that, if untreated, could result in permanent vision loss. The statement adds that such problems can be fixed if they are detected early enough and treated correctly. 

The first phase of the campaign in the Seychelles islands in the western Indian Ocean took place in May last year, where 3,000 out of 25,000 students were screened.

The second one was October 24 at Port Glaud primary school in the northwest of Mahe. Screening was done by an optometrist from Kenya and students with weakened eyesight received free spectacles from the Lions Club of Paradise Seychelles in collaboration of Lions Club International.