Primary education is a fundamental human right. It has the potential to change individuals’ lives and fuel social transformation. Good health is critical for achieving a sound education and a bright future for a child. Vision is an integral part of a child’s health and poor vision can have long-term impact on their social, cognitive and physical development. An estimated 1.26 million children are blind around the world. Furthermore, 19 million children are visually impaired, including 12 million with uncorrected refractive error—they just need spectacles.

This issue of Community Eye Health Journal – South Asia edition brings you several initiatives to improve children’s eye health through school based interventions that have proven to be successful. The WHO programme on School and Youth Health notes that, “An effective school health programme can be one of the most cost effective investments a nation can make to simultaneously improve education and health.” Integrating eye health into school health programmes can provide comprehensive eye health services to millions of children all over the world.