This scoping review explores the types and characteristics of school-based eye health interventions implemented in low- and middle-income countries to improve children’s access to eye care services and increase compliance with spectacle wear. The review identified a wide range of interventions, including vision screening conducted by teachers or health workers, eye health education programmes, free or low-cost spectacle provision, parental engagement activities, and follow-up mechanisms to support spectacle use. Across the included studies, many interventions reported improvements in eye care uptake, referral attendance, and spectacle compliance among schoolchildren, although the approaches, study quality, and outcome measures varied considerably. The review highlights the growing interest in integrated school eye health programmes while emphasising the need for more robust evidence on sustainability, effectiveness, and implementation within resource-constrained settings.

Meet the Vision Champions—kids leading the charge for eye health in rural Bariadi, Tanzania! These young heroes reached over 6,000 people with eye care messages, screened 7,575 individuals, and referred 2,433 for treatment. Thanks to them, awareness about avoiding non-prescribed eye ointments jumped 14%, and the importance of using only doctor-prescribed eye drops soared by 17%. Talk about a sight for sore eyes!

Who knew music could help open eyes—literally! In Zanzibar, we found that suspicions around Western medicine led people to stick to traditional remedies, even if they were less effective. When posters promoting eye health were taken down from schools, rejection from the community followed. Enter the Zanzibar Arts for Children’s Eyesight project! We're exploring whether catchy tunes, both traditional and modern, can break through social and cultural barriers, helping kids get the eye care they need.

he study used a pilot randomised design to compare referral uptake between children exposed to music-based health education and those receiving standard communication approaches. Findings suggested that musical messaging showed promise in increasing parental engagement and improving uptake of follow-up eye care services for children identified with potential eye problems. The study also explored the feasibility and acceptability of using arts-based approaches within community eye health programmes and highlighted the need for a larger definitive trial to assess effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.