TEHRAN – The Welfare Organization will start carrying out vision screening tests for children aging 3 to 6 years by the beginning of the eighth Iranian calendar month of Aban (October 23).

“Last year, vision screening test was conducted on 3.2 million children, 15,000 of them were diagnosed with Amblyopia (known as lazy eye) and referred to the treatment centers,” ISNA quoted Minoo Rafiei, an official with the Organization, as saying on Wednesday.

She went on to say that while treatment processes of these children has different stages and might be costly, the Welfare Organization has provided financially struggling families with the cost of treatments and even surgeries, if required. 

Last year, some 75 percent of children with the same age have undergone vision screening, she said, adding, this year, the program is being implemented in October and November, and since there has not been an increase in the population of this age, it is planned to diagnose and cover the same number of children.

Vision screening is an efficient and cost-effective method to identify children with visual impairment or eye conditions that are likely to lead to vision loss   so that a referral can be made to an appropriate eye care professional for further evaluation and treatment.

Hearing screening of newborns

Pointing to the hearing screening of infants, Rafiei noted that the plan is being implemented in over 500 treatment centers located in hospitals affiliated to the Welfare Organization. 

“Last year, some 85 percent of the newborns underwent hearing screening tests carried out by the Organization,” she highlighted.

Although hearing screening tests are conducted by the private sector, the license is issued by the Welfare Organization, and the cost are based on governmental tariffs, she concluded. 

Hossein Nahvinejad, deputy director for Iran’s Welfare Organization for rehabilitation affairs, on June has said that out of 1.5 million people living with different kinds of disabilities some 225,000 are suffering hearing impediment.

FB/MQ/MG