Research

Eye conditions in children can significantly impact their visual functioning and quality of life. However, there is a lack of data on the prevalence of these eye conditions in children, making it challenging to plan effective school eye health programs. To address this, a School Eye Health Rapid Assessment (SEHRA) tool is being developed to collect data for school eye health program planning. The first module of the SEHRA tool focuses on determining the magnitude of eye health needs in children through a school-based cluster survey. The survey's sampling strategy and sample size calculations are outlined in this paper. The results indicate that in regions requiring larger sample sizes or with fewer recruited schools, the confidence in the accuracy of the data may be lower, along with SEH programmes not being standardized or efficient. The SEHRA survey module can be applied in any context to assess eye health needs in school children. However, the level of confidence in the survey data may vary under certain circumstances. By implementing this tool and collecting standardized data, planners can identify and address eye health disparities, leading to more efficient and targeted interventions in school eye health programs.