By Razak Baba
As part of activities to mark World Sight Day, Orbis International Ghana, a Non-Governmental Organisation committed to the preservation and restoration of sight, and Ghana Health Service, have held free eye screening in three communities of the Ahafo Ano South-West District in the Ashanti Region to commemorate World Sight Day.
The communities include Mankranso, Kunsu, and Beposo.
The purpose of World Sight Day commemorated on Thursday, October 13, is to focus attention on the global issue of eye health led by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.
The celebration, which was under the theme: “Love Your Health,” brought together health professionals from Orbis International-Ghana together with Ghana Health Service to organise free-eye screening for scores of residents at Mankranso and Kunsu in the Ahafo Ano South-West District of the Ashanti Region.
Orbis International-Ghana medical team has screened three special schools in the region free of charge. The institutions include the Garden City Special School at Asokore Mampong Municipality, Ashanti School for the Deaf at Jamasi in the Sekyere South district and the Community Vocational Special School at Deduako. The eye screening initiative at Mankranso saw residents undergo the exercise where reading and pop-in eyes are a flagship product of Orbis International-Ghana that is fitted and dispensed on-site.
Eye drops were also distributed during the exercise.
Glaucoma, a hereditary and irreversible eye blinding condition, cataract and refractive errors dominated the eye conditions among the residents, which were detected by a team of optometrists from the Ghana Health Service and a medical team from Orbis International-Ghana.
Those conditions were referred to appropriate facilities for further treatment of their sight and the team from Orbis International-Ghana would follow up to ensure such persons were taken good care of. Some of the beneficiaries GBC NEWS spoke with commended the organisers of the events, particularly Orbis International-Ghana, for helping them to ratify their eye effects.
The Programme Manager of Orbis International-Ghana, Madam Juanita Aryeh, said her organisation is committed to helping Ghana’s low-income communities get eyeglasses, saying the goal is to make sure that nobody is needlessly blind by identifying cases as early as possible.
She explained that the organisation chose to attend to students in special schools prior to the celebration because it values inclusion and diversity.
Madam Aryeh said Orbis had been working closely with the Ghana Health Service and Ghana Education Service, among others, in the Ashanti Region to provide eye care services to the public.
