GOOD health and eye care is dependent on having services which are accessible and affordable. Someone who is looking to address the challenges of access to eye care is Noko Malatjie.
He is the founder of Orme & Meko, a white-label eyewear manufacturer, distributor and designer that specialises in African-designed eyewear, specifically made for the African face.
Having struggled as a child with weak eyesight and short-sightedness and having no access to prescription glasses, he has made it his company’s mission to ensure no child gets left behind in education, sports and other activities due to a lack of funds and affordability.
As such, Malatjie and his team provide free prescription glasses to marginalised schools and communities for children who have problems with their sight and cannot afford treatment.
Considering that an estimated 17.5 million children globally have low vision, most of whom are found in developing nations such as Africa’s, it is critical that preventative measures to curb the barriers to eye care are addressed as the negative impact of poor eye care affects the lifespan of more than 60% of these children – some of whom die within one year of becoming blind.
It’s not only eye-care services that are inaccessible due to financial affordability, it’s also access to other services, understanding and using information, issues of cultural belief and unawareness of signs and symptoms that continue to plague our population.
All of these issues compounded create an even bigger problem as they exacerbate the barriers faced by the youth. Noting the very unequal society we live in, Malatjie spoke about some of the awareness and preventative programmes Orme & Meko run in various communities to assist children and families with access to prescription eye care.
“The aim of the company is to provide eyewear for brands and then provide free prescriptions for marginalised communities from the profits that are made. We did that for some time until Covid-19 happened, and it went quiet. I realised that there was a huge gap in the market and now we’re back again,” he said.
The business is currently based in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, and they are looking to expand it.
“Our vision for expansion is having more partners to come on board in terms of raising enough funds to have prescription eyewear available to marginalised schools. On the business front, we are trying to push the inclusion of black eyewear designers and have more brands on board,” he said.
Malatjie said they plan to exhibit at global eyewear exhibition SILMO 2023 in Paris, in September.