Recent statistics estimate about 36 million people in Vietnam are living with refractive error (RE - including myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia). Among this group, three million children are visually impaired due to refractive errors and require glasses. Despite this great need, only 10% of people with refractive errors have access to quality refraction care due to a largely absent service.
In Dong Nai Province alone, approximately 250,000 adults and nearly 240,000 children are estimated to have RE. It means a great deal of people are now in need of refraction services, while poor availability of the needed refraction services in Dong Nai has forced patients either travel to Ho Chi Minh city for eye examinations or rely on local private optical shops of whom service quality might remain a question.
Untreated conditions leading to childhood blindness and visual impairments have critical consequences on individuals, families, and society, with long-term impacts on quality of life, education, independence, and productivity.
After three years of implementation, in late December 2022 project "Good sight, Good life" was successfully completed contributing to protecting eye health and fighting blindness for children in particular and communities in general in Dong Nai province, Vietnam.