Within the scope of the project initially implemented in Türkiye's eastern Muş province, around 5,220 children underwent eye screening in the fully equipped "Health and Love Truck" sent to the Feb. 6 earthquake-hit zone, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Tuesday.
With the project dubbed "Bright Life with Preventable Blindness," the stated truck was created through efforts of the Muş Governorate, Muş Municipality, Muş Alparslan University, Üsküdar University and the Turkish Red Crescent to conduct eye screenings for children in the provinces affected by the earthquake that struck the country's southeast nearly six months ago.
Following the examinations of earthquake-affected children in Muş, the truck departing from the city on July 15 reached out to children aged between 7 and 13 in container cities in the provinces of Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman, Malatya and Diyarbakır.
Out of the 5,220 children examined by expert doctors and optometrists, some 780 were identified with visual impairments and were referred to relevant health care institutions for further evaluation.
During the screening using the iridology method, it was observed that children spent long hours looking at digital screens, leading to the formation of stress-related rings in their iris.
Aykut Çağlı, a faculty member of the Opticianry Department at Muş Alparslan University and project coordinator, stated that they had initially launched the project in 2021.
Çağlı explained that they detect and refer children with eye diseases in disadvantaged areas in Muş to relevant health care institutions and provide follow-ups.
"After Feb. 6, we redirected to the earthquake-stricken areas. We established the 'Health and Love Truck' to ensure the visual health of our children in the region. In 11 days, we conducted eye screenings for 5,220 children," he noted.
"During the eye screenings, we also provided psychosocial support to the children in our truck. With our team of expert doctors, optometrists and the Turkish Red Crescent youth organizations, we continue our field activities," Cağlı added.
He also said the screenings were conducted in 20 container cities across the earthquake-hit region, emphasizing that they fought a challenging battle to bring hope to the children's eyes, traveling approximately 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles).
Highlighting the importance of working with a strong team, Çağlı said: "With our professional office team, we analyze the data we obtain on the ground. We want to offer permanent solutions. We aim to turn our reports into academic publications and find solutions to issues in the earthquake-hit region."
Muş Mayor Feyat Asya stated that Muş Municipality actively took part in relief activities in the earthquake-affected areas from the moment the earthquake struck, and added, "We mobilized all our teams to help survivors."
Reiterating that 5,220 children were screened during the health truck's journey that commenced on July 15, Asya said that meaningful and beautiful work was accomplished within a short span of time. "I thank all stakeholders and volunteers of the project for their effort," he said.