ENTOD Pharmaceuticals and MATANAND Foundation lead India’s largest awareness campaign to protect young eyes

New Delhi: In collaboration with the MATANAND Welfare Foundation and the Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmological Society of India (SPOSI), ENTOD Pharmaceuticals will support National Myopia Week 2025, a week-long nationwide awareness campaign from 14th to 20th November 2025.

The initiative, themed #OperationMyopia – A Mission to Protect Young Eyes, aims to address the rising incidence of myopia (near-sightedness) among children and young adults across India through preventive education, vision screening programmes, and active community engagement.

Beginning on Children’s Day, the campaign focuses on encouraging regular eye check-ups, outdoor play, and reduced screen exposure to help curb India’s growing “myopia epidemic” among children. ENTOD Pharmaceuticals aims to reach and educate communities through both on-ground and digital awareness programmes, providing practical knowledge about eye health and the importance of early intervention.

A major highlight of this year’s campaign is the Parents’ Myopia Pledge – National Myopia Week 2025, hosted on the official website www.nationalmyopiaweek.org. Through this initiative, parents are encouraged to commit to taking their children for annual eye check-ups and to spread awareness about myopia prevention within their communities. Participants can also download an official Myopia Pledge Certificate as part of this nationwide awareness movement.

Dr. Jitendra Jethani, MS, DO, DNB, FNB, FRCS(Edin), Managing Director, Baroda Children Eye Care and Squint Clinic, Vadodara, India and SPOSI Member, highlighted the urgent need for preventive eye care, saying: “We are witnessing a troubling trend where even very young children are developing myopia due to unhealthy lifestyle habits, excessive screen time, academic pressure, and limited outdoor activity. Routine eye examinations from an early age are now essential. Parents, teachers, and doctors must work together to protect children’s visual health. We should urge schools to ensure at least 1.5 hours of outdoor activity per day, or two intervals of 35 minutes each, at least up to 12 years of age or until Grade 6.

Over the past three years, the National Myopia Week campaign has reached millions of parents, teachers, and children across India through social media initiatives, press coverage, and school awareness programmes. This year, ENTOD aims to reach an even larger audience—targeting over 7 crore people nationwide by expanding its activities to 450 districts and engaging more schools and communities.

To achieve this, the organisation has engaged more than 2,500 doctors and 5,000 volunteers to assist in awareness activities across the country. These include ophthalmologist-led, school-based educational sessions, vision screening camps, and interactive workshops on eye health. At the clinic and hospital levels, patients will receive informational leaflets in regional languages with guidance on preventive eye care.

Nikkhil K. Masurkar, Executive Director of ENTOD Pharmaceuticals, emphasised the importance of proactive action, stating: “Global trends are deeply concerning. Studies suggest that by 2050, nearly half of the world’s population may be affected by myopia. With #OperationMyopia, our mission is to create a nationwide movement that promotes early eye check-ups and empowers families to protect children’s vision health.”

Alongside these efforts, radio awareness programmes and local outreach activities will be conducted in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Coimbatore, Pune, Patna, and Kolkata to ensure that eye health messages reach diverse communities across India. These city-level drives, supported by Red FM, aim to strengthen the campaign’s reach and encourage greater public participation.

Myopia is an escalating global health concern, and ENTOD Pharmaceuticals continues to lead efforts to combat it through awareness, innovation, and preventive care, reinforcing its commitment to protecting the vision of future generations