We need more optometrists to save young Filipinos

As over 26 million students returned to school for the 2026-2027 year, attention has again been drawn to the persistent “learning crisis” affecting education. Experts argue that this crisis will persist unless the classroom shortage is addressed, teachers are properly supported and the lack of textbooks and learning materials is resolved.

Why do our students perform poorly in international assessments? One possible cause is a basic issue – they struggle with accurate reading, which may be due to vision problems that hinder clear sight.

It is estimated that over 28 million Filipinos struggle with near vision, mostly due to poverty that prevents them from affording eye exams or glasses.

In my discussion with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s leading optometrist Dr. Rokiah Omar, I learned that children are the most vulnerable because they seldom complain about poor vision. They don’t know what “normal” vision should be, so a blurry world feels natural to them.

The brain and eyes actively learn to work together, a process that continues until a child is about seven or eight years old. If a child has a vision problem during these formative years, the brain may permanently ignore blurry signals from the affected eye.

International medical guidelines recommend starting formal vision screenings around age three, with yearly tests until age six. Delaying early detection of vision problems raises the risk of amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” when one or both eyes don’t develop normal vision during childhood. The brain often favors the stronger eye, gradually ignoring signals from the weaker eye.

If a corrective lens or eye patch isn’t used before age seven, the brain’s neural pathways solidify, leading to permanent visual impairment in that eye – something that glasses or surgery can’t correct later.

Early childhood is therefore a critical window for visual development, and providing a child with eyeglasses is one of the most powerful educational and economic interventions. Experts say that a child with uncorrected vision learns about half as much in a year as a classmate with good vision. 

A child’s ability to see the blackboard clearly directly affects their learning, graduation and ability to find skilled jobs. When a child can’t see the board or focus on a book, going to school becomes a frustrating experience. Because young children often don’t recognize their vision issues, teachers and parents may mistakenly think they are slow learners, have ADHD or lack intelligence.

But we cannot help these students because of the ongoing crisis in the country’s optometry profession. While there are more than 12,000 registered optometrists, only about half are actively practicing. This leaves us well below the WHO-recommended 1:10,000 optometrist-to-population ratio. 

This small number is compounded by our archipelagic character and in many places, Filipinos never have their vision checked.

All higher education institutions that offer a Doctor of Optometry are private, lengthy and costly programs. They typically require five-six years and cost between P600,000 to P750,000 for the entire duration. These expenses do not include the cost of ophthalmic instruments such as retinoscopes and ophthalmoscopes, clinical fees, internships or board review classes.

This means there are fewer graduates, and many of those who graduate practice their profession abroad, open clinics or remain in urban areas.  

The government has been fond of enacting policies that appear to address the problem. The National Vision Screening Act (RA 11358), enacted in 2019, mandates a National Vision Screening Program (NVSP) under DepEd to screen kindergarten pupils’ vision.

The NVSP requires teachers and health personnel to conduct basic vision screenings for kindergarten students. This helps identify potential visual issues early, provide immediate support to visually impaired children, establish a referral system for specialist examinations and treatments and compile a database of vision screening outcomes for all kindergarteners.

While these goals are admirable, how can they be realized amid the country’s optometry crisis? Who will train the thousands of teachers in vision screening? Who will offer immediate assistance to visually impaired kindergarten students? Who will perform follow-up diagnoses at regional or local levels? How can you persuade or mandate that optometry students complete their internships by screening children, or that graduates join this effort?

Dr. Charlie Ho, a four-term national president of the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists (IPAO) and the founding president of the Vision Science Institute, provides a practical solution.    

We need to open optometry programs at state universities and colleges (SUCs) to expand access by lowering costs (through ongoing free tuition and waived miscellaneous fees) and to require a return-service agreement so that students can serve in far-flung areas. These students (or graduates) can be the backbone of DepEd’s implementation of RA 11358. Similar to the successful Doktor Para sa Bayan law, CHED can provide grants to participating SUCs for equipment purchases and additional stipends to cover students’ other educational costs. 

So far, only UP Manila Chancellor Mike Tee has risen to the challenge of developing a Doctor of Optometry program in response to the optometry crisis to help young Filipinos. 

When will other SUCs follow suit, and when will CHED step in to address the issue?

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