Noor Dubai Foundation announced the launch of a new initiative where 6,000 free reading glasses would be distributed to individuals of limited means across mosques in Dubai.
So far, 3,000 free reading glasses have been distributed across 25 mosques in Dubai by the foundation in collaboration with Al Jaber Optics and the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department. About 3,000 more will be distributed over the next few weeks.
Noor Dubai Foundation has benefited more than 27 million individuals since its inception in 2008. The organisation’s aim is to treat preventable forms of blindness and educate the public about the causes and how to avoid them.
During the holy month of Ramadan and Eid, many Muslims prefer to read the Quran, especially during or after prayers. Many mosques provide copies of the Quran but they do not provide the reading glasses for those who need it.
The new initiative launched by Noor Dubai Foundation will help those who are suffering from presbyopia — loss of near-focusing ability that occurs with age — by providing a self-check of their eyesight and giving them the reading glasses they need in an attempt to encourage and help them enjoy reading.
Dr Manal Taryam, CEO and Board member of Noor Dubai Foundation, explains that presbyopia occurs naturally as people age, making them unable to read small text at a distance, which can hinder daily activities such as reading text messages, books and subtitles on TV.
Presbyopia is easily corrected by using reading glasses. The latest statistics show there are about 1.04 billion people with presbyopia globally, of which 517 million have visual impairment due to a lack of appropriate near-vision correction. The cost of the burden of uncorrected presbyopia due to lost productivity has been estimated at about $14 billion (Dh51 billion) annually.
“The provision of glasses helped create awareness about eye health and encouraged people to adopt healthier reading habits,” says Dr Taryam. “It also helped those in need to read the Quran during the last few days of the holy month of Ramadan.”
Providing reading glasses also encourages the public to read. This is in line with the UAE’s ten-year National Policy for Reading, which was launched in 2016 to encourage the habit among all age groups and to ensure 80 per cent of children and 50 per cent of adults read actively.
A self-eye check-up was also available inside the mosque. As part of the initiative mosque employees were provided with the necessary tools and training to conduct this evaluation inside mosques and were given the glasses to distribute to the public.
Noor Dubai Foundation worked with Al Jaber Optics to provide the reading glasses. The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department helps train people to manage the process of conducting check-ups and providing glasses.
