CaixaProInfancia and the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona provide eye tests for 183 vulnerable children
This year 232 children have been treated thanks to this initiative, and for many of them it was the first time they had ever had their eyes tested
The ophthalmology team at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona has carried out eye tests on 183 children at risk of social exclusion through the Invulnerables con Visión (Invulnerable with Vision) initiative, promoted by Invulnerables, a project led by Sister Lucia Caram and the CaixaProinfancia programme of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, together with the Natural Optics Group.
Invulnerables con Visión was set up in 2018 to look after the visual health of children, guaranteeing their overall well-being and cognitive development. Since then, 12 days of ophthalmological check-ups have been carried out in different centres of reference in Catalonia, including the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, and with the collaboration of various public and private entities.
Within the framework of the Invulnerables programme, which aims to carry out eye check-ups for children between the ages of 4 and 18, two sessions have been organised at the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Manresa and at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona. A total of 232 children have participated, and 94 glasses have been prescribed.
The children who took part in the final day, held on Friday at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, came from Banyoles (41), Ripoll - Sant Joan de les Abadesses (28), Lleida (35), Figueres (44), and Ukraine (35). The check-up was carried out by a team led by the head of the Ophthalmology Department at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Dr Bernardo Sánchez-Dalmau, and made up of 9 ophthalmology specialists and 11 optometrists. Following the check-up, the Natural Optics Group team provided glasses to the children who needed them, who were able to choose from 50 models.
During the eye tests, it was observed that 78 children need glasses, which represents 43% of the participants. This figure represents a significant increase over the previous year and is considered alarming by professionals, as it confirms a worrying trend with respect to children's visual health. Specialist teams point out that excessive screen use —both at school and during leisure time— could be behind this visual deterioration.
Prolonged exposure to digital devices, especially at an early age, is directly affecting the quality of children's vision, increasing the presence of myopia, visual fatigue and other eye pathologies. In this context, prevention and awareness-raising actions should be implemented in both the family and educational spheres to curb this trend and protect the visual health of the youngest children.
The participants were accompanied by the general manager of the Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Dr Josep M. Campistol; Sister Lucía Caram; the corporate director of Social Programmes of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, Montserrat Buisán; and the CEO of Natural Optics Group, Ignasi Solé.
The Santa Clara Convent Foundation and the Francis of Assisi Centre, which collaborate with the CaixaProinfancia programme of the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation in the Invulnerables project, also participated in the event by providing 6 volunteer interpreters who accompanied the children and their families to the check-up. Volunteering CaixaBank also collaborated in this action with 20 volunteers who supported doctors, children and families throughout the screening process.
The ophthalmology department at the Clínico hospital reminds us that vision develops during the first 6-7 years of life, and therefore recommends that children have their vision assessed when they start school, at around four years of age, and repeat the check-up once a year. Regardless of whether or not the child has any symptoms, it is important to have the check-up because if a child has never seen properly, they will not know how to tell if what they are seeing is normal or not, and therefore will not be able to tell.
In addition, poor vision is often linked to problems with self-esteem and self-concept, academic failure or isolation, and this conditions the day-to-day life at school for many children. In this sense, according to data from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, 25% of the student population is susceptible to having undetected problems such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or lazy eye. Some do not know that they have to wear glasses or are embarrassed to say that they do not see well. When the visual problem is corrected, the child's reality changes completely.
Invulnerables: an alliance to break the cycle of child poverty
The Invulnerables project is an initiative against child poverty promoted by Sister Lucía Caram and the ‘la Caixa’ Foundation, through the CaixaProinfancia programme. The programme works to break the cycle of hereditary poverty by promoting equal opportunities through collaboration between the public and private sectors. It is currently being developed in 14 municipalities, forming 14 working networks together with local administrations and 40 social organisations.
The programme is present wherever the indicators of the Generalitat (the Catalan government) show that child poverty has the greatest impact: Manresa, Manlleu, El Vendrell, Tortosa, Lleida (neighbourhoods of La Mariola, Ctra de Sant Pere, Balafia and Pardinyes), Salt, Figueres, Lloret de Mar, Banyoles, Ripoll, Sant Joan de les Abadesses, Campdevànol, Ribes de Fresser and Camprodon. Since the Invulnerables programme was launched seven years ago, almost 1,600 families and a total of 2,983 children have been helped.