Africa-Press – Zambia. The Lion’s Club of Mazabuka in collaboration with Mazabuka General Hospital Vision Clinic is targeting about 200 people in its free eye screening exercise at Ndeke Secondary School and surrounding communities.
Lions Club of Mazabuka District 143 President, Mike Cheelo says the eye screening includes free eye tests and basic eye medication for eligible pupils at the school and residents in surrounding communities.
Speaking during the official opening of the exercise, Mr. Cheelo said pupils had been targeted since eye infections had the potential to disrupt their studies, if left unchecked.
“For pupils, your sight is very cardinal because when your sight gets affected, your studies suffer,” he said.
Mr. Cheelo further said raising awareness in communities on the need for people to have their eyes checked regularly was an on-going exercise by the club.
“The earlier you have your eyes checked, the greater the chance you have of recovering from an infection, but the longer you leave it unattended, the greater the chance of going blind,” he said.
And Mazabuka General Hospital Ophthalmic Nurse, Ruth Shilengwe said the eye screening helps to capture those without access to such services. Ms Shilengwe said most people did not know they had eye problems until they were screened, thus, it was important to follow them in their respective communities.
“We are grateful to the Lions Club for their support. As a health institution it is not always possible for us to conduct eye screening in communities without the support of other stakeholders, since we also have to attend to patients who come to the hospital,” she said.
Ms Shilengwe further said referrals to Mazabuka Vision Health Centre would be given to clients who could not be treated on site, for purposes of further diagnosis and treatment.
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