TABANAN ~ A team offering free eye checks and glasses was overwhelmed by a crowd when it visited Lumajang Samsam village in Tabanan on Monday.

More than 500 people turned up to have checks and collect free glasses from the team, sponsored by Yayasan Kemanusiaan Indonesia, Bali TV, Global FM Radio and a newspaper. The team also screened people for possible cataract surgery.

Global FM Bali Director I Dewa Gede Jana Yudi said the activity was part of his network’s social responsibility programme.

“We hope this event provides great benefit to the community,” he said.

Eye specialist Dr. Wayan Gede Dharyata said programmes such as the event in Tabanan helped reduce the number of people in Indonesia at risk of going blind.

Latest figures show cataracts and other eye conditions have blinded 1.5 percent of Indonesians, or at least 3 million people. The aim of the present programme is to reduce this to 1 percent in 2010.

“Although this treatment is done free of charge, it is done at hospital-quality standard and some people will undergo eye surgery,” a senior consultant with Yayasan Kemanusiaan said.