Tema, Dec. 31, GNA— The Ghana Optometric Association (GOA) has revealed that about 80 percent of the various eye problems in the country can be prevented on an early detection if the victims reported on time at the health facility.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dr Remi Ninkpe, who is the GOA National President said a large proportion of those with low vision 88.9 percent, and blindness 67.7 percent were due to avoidable causes.
DSP Ninkpe speaking at the launch of “GNA-GOA: My Eye! My Vision! Is a collaborative public education advocacy campaign between the Association and the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to promote the need for people to access eye care and also to draw attention to vision health.
He said strategies should be put in place to make quality eye care accessible and affordable to all, irrespective of their location, stressing that, “blindness prevention programmes should focus on addressing the avoidable causes, therefore, the GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision! Campaign is commendable”.
He said many eye issues could be resolved if the victims reported at the eye care center early enough and advised citizens to go for routine checkups on their eyes saying vision was the most dominant aspect of human existence.
He stressed that the eye was an essential component of the human body and must be protected at all times.
Dr Ninkpe noted the Ghana Blindness and Visual Impairment Study (GBVIS) conducted in 2015 to estimate the causes, magnitude, and distribution of avoidable blindness and visual impairment among different age groups, sexes, and zones of residence in Ghana established that visual impairment remains a major health issue.
The GOA National President who is also a Medical Officer at the Police Hospital in Accra noted that poor sights or vision could have some negative impact on all facets of the country’s economy, saying, it could reduce productivity in the workforce.
The Reverend Emmanuel Kwesi Ofori, Minister in Charge Central Assemblies of God Church, Tema Community Four who is also a Government Appointee, Tema Metropolitan Assembly who chaired the event called on the government to as a matter of urgency support the Ghana Optometric Association to enhance their services in the country.
He added that the GOA could regulate activities of the various Optometrists to ensure the citizens received professional eye care services.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, GNA-Tema Regional Manager explained that the two professional bodies have agreed to work together on a public sensitization campaign dubbed: “GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision” to draw attention to vision health.
“We believe such collaboration would serve as a major platform to educate the public on vision health and also serves as a critical stage for the association to reach out to the world,” Mr Ameyibor noted.
GNA