By Philip Tengzu
Jirapa (UW/R), Feb. 12, GNA – Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic based in Wa, has extended the Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks) project to children in the Jirapa Municipality, to help improve their vision and educational outcomes.
A total of 413 children in Jirapa, including students from the St. Francis Girls’ Senior High School, benefited from the free eye screening exercise.
Out of the number screened, 73 children had normal vision, 312 were diagnosed with pathological conditions and were given medication, 25 had refractive errors and were provided with eyeglasses, while three were diagnosed with cataract and glaucoma.
The BS4Ks project is a free eye screening initiative implemented by Bliss Eye Care in partnership with Ghana Vision, a Swiss-based charity, and targets school children with the aim of improving their education through good eyesight.
Since its inception about a decade ago, the project has impacted thousands of children in the Upper West Region and beyond through free eye screening, provision of medication and eyeglasses, as well as surgical interventions.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the screening, Dr Angela Asare, a Clinical Optometrist at Bliss Eye Care, said many children, particularly in rural communities, faced vision challenges that affected their daily lives, including their education.
She noted that Bliss Eye Care, through the BS4Ks project, remained committed to ensuring that every child achieved his or her full potential through good vision.
“Every pair of glasses we provide is more than just a frame; it’s a ticket to a better education and a more confident life.
Many of the families they served had to choose between food and medicine, so by providing these medications for free, we ensure that a treatable condition doesn’t turn into a lifelong disability, Dr Asare explained.
Dr Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, the Manager of Bliss Eye Care, encouraged parents and guardians to take their children’s eye care seriously by ensuring regular eye check-ups and taking advantage of free screening programmes.
Reverend David Livingstone Tengan, the Jirapa Municipal Chairperson of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), observed that the screening would enable early diagnosis and treatment of children with eye conditions.
He expressed gratitude to Bliss Eye Care and its partners for the intervention, saying, “We have to let some of our children sit in front or at some positions in class before they can see from the board, but I know that with this, it will help us identify and rectify their problems.”
Mr Denis Yuorikuu Naaso, the School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator at the Jirapa Municipal Education Directorate, acknowledged the importance of good eyesight to improving learning outcomes.
He thanked Bliss Eye Care for supporting the Directorate over the years to provide regular eye screening and treatment for children in the Municipality.
Mr Mathias Gandaabie, the Inclusive Coordinator at the Jirapa Municipal Education Directorate, noted that the intervention would help prevent many children from falling into the category of children with special needs due to untreated vision problems.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/ Christabel Addo