Tecpetrol and the Baylor Foundation have just completed another round of eye tests for children from different towns in the Argentine province of Neuquen. This action is part of the Ocular Health program that the company has been promoting since 2018.

In May, Tecpetrol and the Baylor Argentina Foundation carried out 120 ophthalmological examinations on children under 14, hosted by School No. 346 in Rincon de los Sauces, in the province of Neuquen.

“The Foundation is well aware of the situation that this school is in as well as the challenging times we are going through. The truth is that we are delighted to have this opportunity to act as a link between our students and their health,” says Lorena Fuentealba, the acting director of School No. 346 in Rincon de los Sauces. She explains that “many families already knew the state of their children’s eyesight health, but due to financial problems and difficulties in accessing a specialist, they hadn’t been able to take them to see an ophthalmologist. This was exactly the kind of opportunity we needed to bring together families undergoing from these difficulties.”

The activity is part of the Ocular Health program driven by the company and the Baylor Argentina Foundation in the towns of Rincon de los Sauces, Sauzal Bonito and Añelo. Since the program began in 2018, over 1,900 pediatric eyesight tests have been carried out and 101 pairs of glasses delivered.

According to the World Health Organization, between 15% and 20% of preschool and schoolchildren have problems with their eyesight and if left untreated, these issues could interfere with their visual and intellectual development.

"At this time when everybody’s attention is focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, we must not forget that there are other pathologies that need to be addressed. This is the case with people’s eyesight, as when problems are detected in the early stages of childhood, they can be treated to ensure they do not interfere with school performance and development,” explains Alejandro Gaisch, head of Community Relations in the Neuquen Basin.