Africa-Press – Uganda. Uganda faces a critical shortage of eye care professionals, with just about 500 specialists serving nearly 46 million people.
In a bid to inspire the next generation of experts, eyewear company Lapaire Uganda has launched a career awareness initiative aimed at secondary school students.
The company recently hosted an Open Day at its Ntinda branch, where students, teachers, and parents explored the science and practice of optometry, tested diagnostic equipment, and interacted with professionals in the field.
John Hilary Balyejusa, Lapaire’s Public Relations and Communications Executive, said the initiative targets students at a formative stage when career choices are still being shaped.
“Uganda has less than 500 eye specialists for almost 50 million people. That makes access to eye health very difficult. By inspiring students now, we hope to build the next generation of eye specialists who can serve the country better,” he said.
The event also showcased non-medical opportunities in the eye care industry. Lapaire’s Human Resource Manager, Mark Muoki, noted that careers in sales, management, and business operations are equally vital to sustaining services.
For many students, it was a first real encounter with optometry. Tennisha Birungi, from Rise and Shine High School Ntinda, said the session opened her mind to new career paths.
“I didn’t know anything about eye specialists before today. This initiative is very good—it’s going to help us as youth think beyond traditional careers like doctors or pilots, and also consider becoming eye specialists,” she said.
Eye specialist Jackline Baboneraawo used the platform to call for greater government investment in training programs, pointing out that only Makerere University offers optometry, while ophthalmology training is concentrated in Jinja.
She also urged the public to prioritize regular eye checkups and shared simple practices like the “20-20-20 rule” for screen users: “Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds to relax the eyes.”
Beyond the Open Day, Lapaire runs outreach programs targeting schools, teenage mothers, the elderly, and workplaces under its “Eye Care at Work” campaign. The company also plans to join a national road safety campaign linking poor vision to accidents.
By engaging students early, Lapaire hopes to build a pipeline of future specialists who can close Uganda’s massive eye care gap and make quality vision accessible to all.
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