LEJWELEPUTSWA – A large group of 88 learners of 14 schools across the Lejweleputswa District have received free eye tests and prescription spectacles through a social investment initiative aimed at improving their vision and supporting their academic progress.

Astron Energy in the Free State partnered with the Free State departments of Health and Education to provide the services to learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, bringing professional optometric care directly to their schools.

Undiagnosed vision problems can significantly affect children’s development and school performance, particularly when they struggle to read their textbooks or see what is written on the classroom board.

For learners who cannot access eye care and treatment, these difficulties can become barriers to learning, limiting their ability to participate fully in lessons and extracurricular activities.

The initiative undertaken in Lejweleputswa seeks to address these challenges by identifying vision problems early and ensuring that learners who need spectacles receive them.

According to Trevor Elie, director of Freestate Petroleum Distributors (FPD), branded marketer of Astron Energy in the Free State, the driving force behind the intiative is the idea thet access to appropriate eye care can make a meaningful difference in learners’ lives, helping them to participate more confidently in the classroom and improve their educational opportunities.

Beyond its academic benefits, the initiative also aims to address the social and emotional challenges that some visually impaired learners experience. Difficulties navigating school environments and participating in social activities can contribute to feelings of isolation, anxiety and low self-esteem.

“By providing eye-testing services in familiar school environments, the programme makes essential healthcare more accessible to children who might otherwise go without treatment,” said Elie.

The organisers described the provision of spectacles as an investment in learners’ potential, enabling them to overcome avoidable barriers to education while promoting their confidence and independence.

The initiative is intended to continue. Astron Energy plans to make it an annual programme, extending its support to more schools in other districts during 2027 and beyond.

Elie explained that through the partnership with the provincial health and education departments, the programme aimed to reach more disadvantaged learners and help ensure that preventable vision problems did not stand in the way of their education or any of their future opportunities.

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