AIZAWL, June 23 - A �Walk in the Dark�, organised by a non-profit trust, India Vision Institute (IVI), here this morning witnessed a spectacular procession of over 300 blind and visually impaired children, as well as school-going children and prominent citizens.
Mizoram Government Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities Dr Lalnunthara flagged off the march. Indian footballers Jeje Lalpekhlua and Zohmingliana Ralte, IVI CEO Vinod Daniel, Essilor India�s consumer activation manager Ridhima Pandey, Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) India head Dharmaprasad and Zoram Entu Pawl (ZEP) secretary and director Rev Fr S Lawrence Kennedy also joined the walk.
The Walk was co-hosted by Essilor India�s �Think About Your Eyes� campaign with the support of ZEP, a not-for-profit charity body working in the social development sector.
The Walk is IVI�s ongoing campaign in different parts of the country to raise awareness about vision impairment and vision screening, especially among children and adults from underprivileged communities.
The Walk has come to Aizawl after seven cities since 2014, which include Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Goa and Kolkata.
The Walk also marks the launch of a vision-screening project for 10,000 children from the remote districts of Mizoram � Serchhip and Lunglei � by the IVI with the support of the EVF.
IVI CEO Vinod Daniel said, �As part of our Eye See & I Learn programme, 1,800 free spectacles will be provided to children in Mizoram following vision screenings in these places.�
In a recent study conducted in Mizoram, the percentage prevalence of refractive error among children was estimated at 18.
