SL2: SIERRA LEONE SEES TO LEARN TRIAL
COUNTRY
Sierra Leone
Background issues
Uncorrected refractive error (URE), particularly myopia and hyperopia, is a major cause of vision impairment, affecting millions of children globally. In Sierra Leone, 80% of people with URE lack access to glasses, including most schoolchildren. Poor vision significantly affects children’s educational performance, yet there are no national models for school-based vision screening and provision of glasses in Sierra Leone. Evidence from China and the US shows that providing free glasses significantly improves educational outcomes, but no randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have been conducted in Africa to evaluate the impact of glasses on children’s learning.
Trial design
SL2 is a school-based, cluster-randomised control trial aimed at assessing the impact of providing free glasses on the educational outcomes of 2,400 children aged 12-15 years in 160 schools in Freetown and Bo City. A supplementary study will focus on hyperopia detection in rural schools.
Outcomes
The SL2 trial aims to answer the following key questions:
- What is the prevalence of refractive error and hyperopia in Sierra Leone, particularly in rural areas?
- Can a low-cost vision screening programme using ready-made eyeglasses improve children’s educational performance?
- How effective is a simplified method of vision correction in low-resource settings?
- Can hyperopia and its educational impact be detected accurately using novel, low-cost tools?
- What is the feasibility of scaling up a national school eye health programme based on the study findings?
Timeline
- 16 months
- Data collection estimated to end in Q3 2025
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06065631
