Seeing the Future More Clearly: Digitalizing Children's Eye Screening Through On-Demand Services

The problem of visual impairment in school-age children is a health issue that is often overlooked, even though it has a very significant impact on the learning process and cognitive development of children. Many children who experience nearsightedness or other vision problems are not detected early, so they are at risk of experiencing learning difficulties, loss of concentration, and even low self-esteem. Regular eye screening in the school environment is an important step in prevention and early treatment. 

However, limited medical personnel, time, and facilities often hinder the implementation of comprehensive eye screening in schools, especially in densely populated or remote areas. To answer this challenge, the use of on-demand health workers is an innovative solution that is increasingly relevant. 

On-demand health workers are medical personnel such as eye doctors, eye nurses, or optometrists who can be called as needed through a digital platform to provide direct services at the location—in this case, schools. Through this approach, eye screening can be carried out more flexibly, efficiently, and reach more children in a short time.

This model enables collaboration between schools, health services, and digital health service platforms. Schools simply schedule visits, and on-demand medical teams will come with portable equipment to conduct basic examinations such as visual acuity tests, lens measurements, and light education about eye health. 

The major advantage of this approach is the acceleration of examination coverage and ease of follow-up. Screening data can be directly recorded in a digital system and accessed by parents or local health centers. If visual impairment is found, referrals to specialists or the provision of glasses can be done more quickly and in a coordinated manner. 

This program is also an effective educational tool. Medical personnel can provide brief counseling to students and teachers about eye health habits, such as adjusting reading distances, avoiding excessive use of gadgets, and the importance of adequate lighting when studying. 

Challenges that may be faced include limited internet access in some schools and the need for special training for health workers to be able to adapt to digital systems. However, with the support of local governments and the private sector, this program is very likely to be implemented sustainably. 

Overall, the presence of on-demand health workers in accelerating school children's eye screening is a progressive step to improve the quality of Indonesian children's visual health, which ultimately contributes to their learning achievement and long-term well-being.