Eye Screening
Since 2015 BCMF has been hosting eye screenings for communities which have difficulty accessing eye care due to a lack of legal documentation, financial difficulties, or their distance to the nearest ophthalmologist. Adults from these communities who suffer from vision problems often face limitations in everyday and economic activities, while the children's ability to study and play is affected. Families are also affected, with the visually impaired person requiring a constant caretaker who then cannot work or attend school if they are children.
During each eye screening mission, BCMF's staff complete vision tests and check for common eye conditions such as cataract and pterygium. A free pair of eyeglasses is provided when needed and patients with eye conditions are referred to nearby free eye clinics and hospitals for further treatment. BCMF regularly works with other NGOs, schools and community leaders to organise eye screening missions in Thailand and Burma, where BCMF works with its sister organisation Health For All (HFA).
The Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) was established in 2006 in response to the increasing number of children on the Thai-Burma border who required complex medical treatment and surgery that is not available at local clinics or hospitals. Prior to BCMF being established, children who required surgery had their symptoms treated and lived either severely incapacitated lives or died prematurely as a result.