KARACHI, Jul 16 (APP):The Pakistan Eye Bank Society (PEBS) on Thursday celebrated the successful completion of the first phase of its School Eye Clinic project, under which more than 60,000 school children from underprivileged communities were screened for vision problems, and launched the second phase aimed at screening 120,000 children over the next year. A ceremony was held at PEBS Hospital in Karachi with Consul General of Germany Thomas Schultze …
PEBS completes eye screening of over 60,000 schoolchildren, launches second phase
KARACHI, Jul 16 (APP):The Pakistan Eye Bank Society (PEBS) on Thursday celebrated the successful completion of the first phase of its School Eye Clinic project, under which more than 60,000 school children from underprivileged communities were screened for vision problems, and launched the second phase aimed at screening 120,000 children over the next year.
A ceremony was held at PEBS Hospital in Karachi with Consul General of Germany Thomas Schultze as the chief guest. The event was attended by patrons of the Pakistan Eye Bank Society, school principals, teachers and students.
Speaking on the occasion, PEBS President, Qazi Sajid Ali, said the society had been working to prevent blindness since 1968. He said more than 16,000 corneal transplant surgeries had been performed, while over 36,000 people had pledged to donate their corneas.
He said PEBS Hospital was currently providing services in ophthalmology, cardiology, diabetes care, dialysis, dentistry and oral and breast cancer treatment, besides organising free eye camps in remote areas. More than 12 million patients had benefited from its healthcare services, he added.
Highlighting the School Eye Clinic initiative, he said a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Rotary Club Heidelberg-Schloss in Heidelberg, Germany, in May 2025 to support eye screening of schoolchildren. The project achieved its target ahead of schedule, he added.
Qazi Sajid Ali said the screening results were alarming, revealing that about 25 per cent of the children examined had vision defects. He stressed the need for a national policy to prevent blindness through early detection and treatment.
In an online address, Tobias Dratt of the Rotary Club Heidelberg-Schloss said the project had exceeded its initial target by screening more than 64,500 children in over 250 schools during its first year.
He said nearly one in four children examined had a vision problem, while four out of five affected children had never previously been diagnosed. The initiative had enabled thousands of children to improve their learning opportunities by receiving timely eye care, he added.
The German diplomat appreciated the efforts of the Pakistan Eye Bank Society and said he was impressed by the organised methodology adopted for conducting school eye clinics.
He later inaugurated the second phase of the project, which would commence in August and aim to screen 120,000 schoolchildren within one year.
Established in 1968, the Pakistan Eye Bank Society is a charitable, non-profit healthcare institution and a pioneer of corneal transplantation in Pakistan. It provides a range of free and subsidised healthcare services to communities across Karachi, Sindh and Balochistan.
