Sajida Foundation and its partners held a day-long free eye camp in Jhalakathi today (19 October), conducting 787 eye screenings and distributing 490 pairs of reading glasses to underserved people.
Organised at the Jhalakathi Government College grounds to mark World Sight Day 2026, the camp was inaugurated by Dr SM Ziauddin Hyder, special assistant to the prime minister on health affairs with the status of a state minister, according to the press release.
VisionSpring, the Jhalakathi District Administration, Grameen GC Eye Hospital and We Can Change (WCC) partnered with Sajida Foundation to organise the camp, which offered free eye examinations, corrective glasses and cataract surgery services for underserved patients across the district.
The initiative forms part of Sajida Foundation's "Reading Glasses for Improved Livelihoods Programme", implemented in partnership with VisionSpring since 2023.
Citing research, the foundation said around six in 10 Bangladeshi adults aged over 35 experience presbyopia, an age-related difficulty in focusing on nearby objects. It reported a prevalence of 63.1% among women and 60.2% among men, while only 3–13% of affected people use corrective glasses.
The programme aims to provide affordable, sustainable vision care at the community level to support the productivity, earning potential and quality of life of workers, artisans, farmers and micro-entrepreneurs. The foundation also cited a study indicating that corrective reading glasses could increase users' incomes by up to 32%.
At the inauguration, Dr Hyder thanked Sajida Foundation for organising the camp.
"For a prosperous Bangladesh, we must prioritise eye care. Good eyesight directly influences a student's ability to study, while enabling our older generations to remain active and productive members of society. I applaud Sajida Foundation for this praiseworthy initiative and thank them for ensuring access to eye care at the grassroots level," he said.
Md Fazlul Hoque, deputy chief executive officer of Sajida Foundation, highlighted the role of vision care in improving lives and livelihoods.
"With 1.4 million people in Bangladesh needing cataract surgery, the need for accessible eye care is urgent and Sajida Foundation is committed to making that vision a reality. Through our partnerships, we aim to reach marginalised communities with eye screening, presbyopia correction, and reading glasses to help people see better, improve their quality of life, and pursue their livelihood opportunities. Our strategy is to scale up optical care and integrate eye health directly into primary healthcare services, to supplement national health priorities," he said.
Organised with support from Md Momin Uddin, deputy commissioner and district magistrate of Jhalakathi, the camp identified 491 cases of presbyopia and 36 cases of cataract through its 787 eye screenings.
It also diagnosed 102 patients with non-communicable diseases and provided care to 79 general patients through a physical check-up stall.
Israt Sultana Ellen Bhutto, MP for Jhalakathi-2, attended as a guest of honour.
Special guests included Marin Sultana, superintendent of police; Advocate Md Shahadat Hossain, administrator of the Zila Parishad; Dr Mohammad Humayun Kabir, civil surgeon; and Professor Mohammad Jahangir Hossain, principal of Jhalakathi Government College.