Eye Heroes recognised by Prime Minister

The founders of Eye Heroes have been recognised by Prime Minister Theresa May, receiving a Points of Light award earlier this week.

Ophthalmologist Dr Yusrah Shweikh and service designer Manjul Rathee established Eye Heroes in 2015 with the aim of teaching children about eye health and training them to be ambassadors who can help educate people in their local communities about the importance of regular sight testing. It is the UK’s first child-led campaign that seeks to tackle avoidable blindness.

To date, Eye Heroes has held over 120 volunteer-led workshops at schools in 18 regions across the UK. The interactive workshops are aimed at children aged between eight and 12 years old and include games, videos and role play.

In a personal letter to Dr Shweikh, Ms May wrote: “By drawing on your professional expertise, you are supporting thousands of children to become experts in eye health and help prevent avoidable sight loss. Your volunteer workshops are having a real impact on improving eye health awareness and I wish you well with your continued work to roll out the campaign further.”

The Points of Light awards were launched in the UK in April 2014 and recognise the work of individual volunteers who are making a positive change in their community. The Prime Minister acknowledges someone with a Points of Light award each day.

Speaking about receiving the accolade, Dr Shweikh told OT: “We were delighted to receive this award and very much hope that it will help boost public awareness about eye health. We want to perpetuate the message that regular eye tests with opticians are important to detect asymptomatic, treatable conditions.”

For more information on Eye Heroes, visit its website.