Abstract

Objective: There is a lack of public awareness of the importance of regular eye tests to detect ocular and systemic conditions which may be asymptomatic. In many cases, timely intervention can prevent irreversible sight loss. In the absence of effective public health campaigns and screening programmes for all eye conditions except diabetic retinopathy, there is a need for awareness-raising about eye health. We report the impact of an initiative, Eye Heroes, which trains children in the UK to be community eye health champions.
Methods: Volunteers across the UK ran interactive workshops using Eye Heroes digital content to train school children aged 8-12 to become eye health champions. Children were taught about eye health and the importance of regular eye testing, and were encouraged to spread these messages amongst their communities. We collected impact data from a sample of 80 children across 3 UK sites (Oldham, Cardiff and Birmingham).
Results: Between November 2016 and November 2017, 200 volunteers delivered 119 workshops training 2,895 children to become eye health champions. 71 children from the sample of 80 (incomplete data from 9 children excluded) informed 601 people about eye health (median 6, IQR 3-10), resulting in 255 attendances for eye tests (median 2, IQR 0-6).
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that training children as eye health champions can translate into attendances for eye tests. Further evidence beyond this preliminary work is desirable to promote scaling up community-based interventions aimed at raising eye health awareness.

Keywords: Ophthalmology; Public health; Education; Community; Awareness