Auckland charity Painga Project aims to boost children's eye care

An Auckland charity is aiming to address what it calls a significant and ongoing gap in eye care for children.

The Painga Project aims to put 7000 pairs of glasses on the faces of children in high equity index schools each year, through its purpose-built mobile optometry clinic, a mini-bus called Celia.

Celia is named after social justice advocate Celia Lashlie.

Painga Project chief executive Sarah Corson told Morning Report often children don't realise they have any vision issues until they put on a pair of glasses.

"They don't know that they can't see because as children, that's all they've known.

"They just think that's how vision is. So it comes as quite a shock to them when they put on a pair of trial lenses or get their glasses and realise that this is how the world looks."

Painga Project has screened more than 18,000 children in the past four years across high equity index primary and intermediate schools, with a quarter of those requiring a full optometry

assessment, of those children, around 80 percent go on to need glasses.

The project's pilot also showed that 17 percent of pre-school children screened were requiring a full optometry assessment.

Corson said teachers notice the change in the students' attitudes once their vision issues have been.

"They're often astounded because they've never picked up that a child can't actually see that well, and sometimes they're a bit embarrassed.

"They can fully engage in their education, so they're more settled, and especially the younger you are.

"If you're trying to put glasses on middle aged children, they're a bit reluctant, because they've learned to cope. But, seeing the look on a five-year-old's face when they start to do their learning in class and can settle, it's amazing."

Celia has so far been funded through donations from organisations such as the Ted Manson Foundation, however it will need additional funding to continue.

"This is where the real impact sits. We have built the model, proven the need, and now we need partners to help us scale this so more tamariki across Aotearoa can access the care they need," Corson said.

Celia the optometry bus cost $500,000 including the equipment and fit out. However, the aim now is to secure the $700,000 per year it costs to operate the service.

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