Gift of sight well received
ZANDSPRUIT - Proper eyesight is of paramount importance to learners and if misdiagnosed it could be perceived as a learning difficulty.
Eyesight will not stand in the way of learning for pupils of Masakhane-Tswelopele Primary School in Zandspruit. Struben’s Valley- based optometrist Candice Halstead recently went to the school to conduct free eye tests on the pupils at the school. Halstead said proper eyesight is an important aspect in the learning of pupils. She highlighted that sometimes eyesight cases that were not yet diagnosed could be mistaken as learning difficulties. “Sometimes a child has some signs of learning difficulty while the actual problem is that they cannot see.”
Halstead was accompanied by Mr SA finalist Armand du Plessis who said he was pleased to be able to work on a campaign like this one. “Seeing is part of communication and communication is what we do daily. So being unable to see can create a huge communication breakdown.”
Du Plessis said he knows what it is like to be unable to see properly as he has an eyesight problem. “It’s frustrating when I don’t have my contact lenses on and battling to see.”
Principal of the school Lebone Lebethe expressed their gratitude for what Halstead did. “No words can explain how grateful we are because now
eyesight will not stand in the way of learning for these pupils.” She said with limited services in the community, it was a blessing to have someone like Halstead to offer her services free of charge to their children.
Lebethe explained that they had pupils who had eyesight problems and the only thing they could do for them was to move them to the front of the class.
During the test, Halstead found that some pupils had severe eyesight problems. “I can just see how these children battled throughout the year to learn properly.” With the severe cases found, Halstead has committed to sponsoring and donating eight spectacles to the pupils.
Though the eight will receive their glasses, there is still a number of children who need spectacles from this school.
Individuals or companies that will like to contribute or sponsor the making of spectacles for these pupils can contact Caxton Johannesburg North West Branch on 011 794 6869.
