Eye Care for Weaver Communities: 222 Adults and Children Screened in Vanasthalipuram

Recently, L V Prasad Eye Institute held a community eye screening program at Geetanjali High School in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad. The program was held for weavers from the local community, their families, and children.

Weaving is close, detailed work. It depends on seeing fine threads clearly for hours at a stretch. The craft supports a small and shrinking workforce.

Telangana had 25,930 handloom weavers and 21,922 allied workers in the 2019-20 handloom census, nearly 48,000 people in all. The census a decade earlier counted about 66,000. Nearly two-thirds of India’s handloom weavers are reported to earn under ₹5,000 a month,  [1] which can make a clinic visit or a new pair of glasses a real expense. A medical screening held close to home can help remove some of these financial barriers, if any.

At Geetanjali High School, Vanasthalipuram, a total of 222 adults and children had their eyes checked during LVPEI’s Community Eye Care program. Among the 100+ adults, the most common result was a change in spectacles. Many of them were prescribed glasses and some were told to continue using the ones they already had. Our team also found that some people were in need of cataract surgery. Among the 100+ children, just over half had normal results, and the remaining children were advised spectacles or further evaluation. Adults needing cataract surgery and children who need further tests were referred to LVPEI for follow-up and were requested to contact LVPEI to facilitate further appointment schedules.