Entod and Matanand Foundation drive myopia awareness push for children

Entod Pharmaceuticals, in partnership with the Matanand Welfare Foundation and the Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmological Society of India (SPOSI), is supporting National Myopia Week 2025, a week-long awareness campaign running from 14 to 20 November 2025. Branded as #OperationMyopia – A Mission to Protect Young Eyes, the initiative responds to the increasing prevalence of myopia among children and young adults in India. It focuses on preventive education, vision screening and community engagement to highlight the importance of early intervention.

Launched on Children’s Day, the campaign stresses regular eye check-ups, greater outdoor activity and reduced screen exposure to address what stakeholders describe as a growing ‘myopia epidemic’. Entod Pharmaceuticals is deploying a mix of on-ground and digital programmes to equip parents, schools and communities with practical guidance on children’s eye health.

A central component of the initiative is the Parents’ Myopia Pledge, hosted on nationalmyopiaweek.org. Parents are encouraged to commit to annual eye examinations for their children and to share myopia awareness within their communities. Participants can download a Myopia Pledge Certificate as part of the nationwide activation.

Dr. Jitendra Jethani, managing director of Baroda Children Eye Care and Squint Clinic and SPOSI member, highlights increasing cases of early-onset myopia driven by unhealthy lifestyle patterns, high screen time and limited outdoor play. He recommends routine eye checks and urges schools to ensure at least 1.5 hours of outdoor time daily, or two intervals of 35 minutes, until the age of 12 or Grade 6.

Over the past three years, National Myopia Week has reached millions of parents, teachers and students. This year’s goal is to reach more than 7 crore people across 450 districts. To support this, over 2,500 doctors and 5,000 volunteers are conducting school sessions, screening camps and workshops. Clinics and hospitals will distribute multilingual informational leaflets on preventive care.

Nikkhil K. Masurkar, executive director, Entod Pharmaceuticals, notes the global rise of myopia and stresses early action. Radio programmes and local outreach in cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Coimbatore, Pune, Patna and Kolkata, supported by Red FM, aim to widen public participation.