DepEd initiates bid to ease eye woes

The Department of Education (DepEd) launched the National Vision Screening Program for kindergarten learners nationwide, with a focus on those with eye impairments.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara, the principal author of Republic Act 11358, or the National Vision Screening Act, said the nationwide rollout of the program advances the law’s goal of early intervention to prevent vision problems from becoming barriers to learning.

“When we passed the Universal Health Care law (Republic Act 11223), our goal was clear: PhilHealth should not only cover treatment when people get sick. It should also help prevent illness. That is the preventive health care we want every Filipino to experience,” Angara said during the national launch at Rosario Elementary School in Pasig City.

School health plan

The NVSP institutionalizes regular vision screening as part of the School Health Program, with a focus on early detection of refractive errors, amblyopia, and other vision disorders that can affect reading, comprehension, classroom participation, and overall academic performance if left unaddressed.

As part of the event, selected learners previously identified as having vision impairments received prescription eyeglasses, underscoring the program’s emphasis on timely, concrete interventions.

PhilHealth supports the initiative through its Yaman ng Kalusugan (YAKAP) program, which integrates preventive services such as vision screening and early intervention into broader community-based health packages. This complements DepEd’s learner-centered initiatives such as Clinics for Learners’ Access to School-health Services (CLASS+), which aim to bring basic health services closer to learners.

During the launch, DepEd and the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists Inc. (IPAO) signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize their partnership to expand access to professional eye care services for learners nationwide.

The agreement strengthens referral pathways from schools to licensed optometrists. It supports school- and community-based eye examinations, corrective interventions, and access to prescription eyeglasses, including those covered under PhilHealth’s Optometric Benefit Package.

Angara added that preventive health measures in schools are critical to improving learning outcomes and reducing avoidable gaps that begin early in a child’s education.