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Free lazy eye treatment and diagnosis check-up

Milan, March 2 2021 – An alliance between public and private to defend the right to health of boys and girls and spread the culture of prevention. It is with this objective that the Buzzi Foundation, M5 Metro, Lions108ib4 District - Metropolitan City and Municipality of Milan will collaborate to launch a preventive screening campaign which will be held from 6 March to 30 June at the renovated clinic located on the mezzanine of the M5 Jerusalem stop thanks to the support of the Lions Clubs of district 108ib4.

The experimentation will start in municipalities 7, 8 and 9, with the involvement of all boys and girls who attend municipal nursery schools and whose 4th birthday falls between January and June 2021. Families will receive an invitation directly at school to book, and then go on a voluntary basis to the clinic where they will have the opportunity to carry out a free screening for the early diagnosis of amblyopia.
To access, booking - online or by telephone - is mandatory and the clinic will be open by appointment every Saturday morning from 8am to 30pm. The test report will be delivered at the end of the visit and explained to the parents by an orthoptist. If at the end of the screening the need emerges, the children will be able, upon reservation and free of charge, to undergo an in-depth visit at the Buzzi Hospital.

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, consists of reduced visual ability of one or both eyes, which becomes no longer correctable if diagnosed after the first years of life. It develops in childhood and affects one child in 35. It has no obvious symptoms and only a timely diagnosis allows for the essential rehabilitation process.
The project was born from the collaboration between the Buzzi Children's Hospital Foundation, Metro 5, Lions District 108ib4 - Metropolitan City of Milan, Education Department of the Municipality of Milan and V. Buzzi Hospital of Milan.

"Amblyopia – declare Dr. Marika Dello Strologo and Dr. Laura Asnaghi of the V. Buzzi Children's Hospital – can be treated effectively in the first decade of life. The earlier therapeutic measures are instituted, the greater the possibility of therapeutic success. Hence the importance of screening aimed at identifying refractive errors and other causes of amblyopia early, improving not only the visual quality of patients, but also their quality of life and their academic progress".

"The alliance between public and private – explains Education Councilor Laura Galimberti – is one of the characteristic elements of the Milanese social fabric. Collaboration becomes even more important when it is established to protect the little ones in their growth path. For We thank all the partners of this trial which we hope to be able to implement throughout the city as soon as possible to spread the culture of health and prevention starting from an early age".

Screening for the diagnosis of amblyopia dedicated to children in municipal nursery schools begins on March 6