CAIRO: Muslim Brotherhood member Saad Khalifa Saad has made a parliamentary demand that the two respective boards of health and education undertake an investigation into the visual health of Egypt's students. Saad cited statistics gleaned from a World Health Organization survey, which reports that of a sample of 5,839 students aged 7-14 years in Cairo, over 22 percent suffer from eye diseases, and most are in prep-school. The research proves that poor vision can lead to a number of problems, the most dangerous is blindness altogether. Saad said that according to the study, over 60 percent of blind people in Egypt originally had poor eyesight. He pointed out that this suggests diseases that cause blindness in later life, such as trachoma, go untreated. Saad demanded that the Ministry of Education fulfill its role to look after the interests of Egypt's young population, asking whether the Ministry of Education is doing enough to prevent eye diseases among the youth, considering that over a quarter of students in Egypt suffer from eye ailments. "There needs to be a routine examination for all students every six months, where problems such as poor sight can be determined early, before it deteriorates, Saad told Daily News Egypt. "If eye diseases can be caught early, then they can be treated. "If they can't be treated, measures need to be put into place to ensure those who suffer from poor vision do not fall behind in their studies. At present, many, as a result of poor vision, drop behind in classes out of frustration and lack of motivation. Separate classes with qualified specialist teachers would ideally be established to give pupils a better chance in their studies. Saad expressed fears that lack of financial sources will continue to hinder the respective authorities from implementing preventive measures in schools. "Egypt just doesn't have the means to undertake the scheme on a nationwide level. But representatives of the WHO do not see reason to worry. "These figures are not recent. They come from research we did about five years ago, AbdulHannan Choudhury, physician with the WHO, told Daily News Egypt. "It is true that many young children are short-sighted, but this is a result of watching television close up before the eye is fully developed, and can be rectified with glasses. "However, we do need to conduct more recent research. Areas such as Kafr El-Sheikh, Fayoum, Menufiya and Minya have higher percentages of eye diseases that lead to blindness.
