Nguyen Thi Ven, Director of the Kon Tum province Department of Health said the project which has been carried out in the province over the past two years has achieved noteworthy results.

Nearly 40,000 pupils from 35 primary and junior secondary schools have been provided with free eye care check-ups and glasses as needed. The qualification of ophthalmological staff has been improved while eye care centres have been equipped with modern facilities.

Communications programmes and training courses for teachers and medical staff have been organised to raise the awareness of the importance of eye care and wearing proper glasses.

HKI in coordination with the Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology (VNIO) has provided basic ophthalmological equipment and organised training courses on refraction disorder for medical staff in nine districts in Kon Tum and on glasses installation skills for 13 private eye care shops.

VNIO Director Do Nhu Hon said the project has been extraordinarily beneficial and worthwhile, contributing to national blindness prevention programme and raising public awareness of eye care and qualification of ophthalmological centres.