Chandigarh
21 July 2023
DIVYA AZAD
The Netra Foundation, a non-profit organization, founded by Sharanya Jain, a class XII student at Carmel Convent School, Sector-9, Chandigarh, in collaboration with the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH-32), distributed Low Vision Aids (LVAs) to nine visually impaired students from the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, Chandigarh, enhancing the vision of some and allowing the others to see for the first time. The LVA’s were distributed at the Eye department of the GMCH-32. The low vision aids were personalised to suit the requirements of the beneficiary students.
Sharanya Jain, the young student who has founded Netra Foundation, said, ”I feel immensely blessed that after two years of continuous efforts we were finally able to bring about a change in someone’s life. Our journey does not stop here and I hope that in the coming years we can spread greater awareness about low vision aids and be able to bring light to the world of even more visually impaired people.”
Netra Foundation works for the betterment and upliftment of blind children through various activities such as free eye check-up camps, publishing textbooks in Braille, recording audiobooks for visually impaired students, organising eye donation awareness campaigns, etc.
Before the LVA’s were given to the beneficiaries, a free eye check-up camp was organised at the Institute for Blind, Sector-26, by Netra Foundation in association with the National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB), Chandigarh to identify children whose vision could be enhanced with low vision aids, refraction and surgical procedures. More than 70 visually impaired students were screened by Dr. Laxmi Tuli and Mrs. Komal from Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH-16), and 21 students were identified to be tested for rehabilitation measures.
The shortlisted students were screened at GMCH-32 by a team of doctors including Dr. Vinod Kumar , Senior Optometrist, GMCH-32 and Dr. Laxmi for various low vision aids in multiple batches and finally, nine students were selected whose vision could be improved with the help of different low vision aids. All this was done under the guidance of Dr. Sudesh Arya, Professor and Head of Eye Bank, Cornea and Refractive Surgery, GMCH-32.
Funds were raised by the Netra Foundation to order the low vision aids from Hyderabad. The beneficiaries included Tushar Gupta, Giriraj Chechi, Kashish Saini, Akhil Thukral, Mukesh Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Kusum Bhatia, Rajeev, and Radhika. They were also provided with training on how to use these aids.
Dr. JS Jayara, Principal of the Institute for the Blind, and BD Sharma, Secretary of the Society for the Care of the Blind, applauded the efforts of Sharanya Jain and her organization for working towards this noble cause.
