Africa-Press – Uganda. Eye experts have tasked the government to increase the number of optic specialists to handle the increasing cases.
“We don’t have enough institutions that give optometry or ophthalmology as an option of study. We only have two institutions; Makerere University and an instite at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital,” Ms Esther Nafula, the operations manager of Lapaire Uganda, said during the commemoration of World Sight Day at their offices in Ntinda, Kampala, on Thursday.
The day aims at raising awareness about eye diseases and prevention.
Ms Nafula said in many communities, people are unable to acquire eyecare due to inadequate accessibility while others travel long distances to access the services.
The spokesperson of Lapaire Uganda, Mr Oliver Mwanko, said the country has about 40 eye specialists (ophthalmologists) .
“It is said we have one eye specialist for one million people. This raises the number of specialists to 40 in the country,” Mr Mwanko said.
“We call upon the education sector to promote ophthalmology as a course so that we can have as many eye specialists as possible and this will enable Ugandans to get the service,” Mr Mwanko said.
Eye cases
According to the Ministry of Health, there are 2.5 million adults and children who suffer from moderate and severe eye problems with 250,000 people blind in both eyes.
Ms Jackeline Baboneraawo, an eye specialist, said there are more than 100 eye diseases that need urgent attention.
She cited cataracts, strabismus myopia and refractive errors which are the lead causes of eye impairment.
“The only challenge is that most of our eye diseases don’t come with pain and that is why they are not recognised at early stages,” Ms Baboneraawo said.
She advised the public to always go for eye regular checkup, saying some conditions can be rectified.
“The brain receives 80 percent of what it interprets from the eye, meaning that the eye is a major organ and for us to help our brain to interpret our daily activities, we need to take care of our eye efficiently,” Ms Baboneraawo said.
She said eye cases among the children below the age of zero to eight years and has attributed it to parental negligence.
“Some children are born with conditions that can be handled from birth,” Ms Baboneraawo said.
She advised the public to have a healthy diet of fruits and vegetables and to maintain healthy weight and get regular medical eye check-ups to prevent eye diseases among others.
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