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Orbis International Ghana with the help from Ghana Health Service (GHS ) has marked the 2022 International World Sight Day with a blindness simulation and eye screening exercise to help demystify blindness and draw attention to the global issue of eye health and vision impairment as in line with this year’s theme; “LOVE YOUR EYES.”
Orbis International Ghana, a non-profit humanitarian organisation held the event which saw residents from Beposo, Mankranso and Kunsu, communities within Ahafo Ano South-West District in the Ashanti Region.
Some schools including Asante School for the Deaf at Jamasi, Garden City Special School, Asokore-Mampong and Community Vocational School at Deduko also benefited the screening.
According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), at least one billion people have a vision impairment that could have been prevented or has yet to be addressed.
In an interview with the Ashanti Regional Health Director Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, he stressed that people with sight issues should be given the respect and level playing field in the society to help them explore.
“It’s about having respect for people, believing in autonomy for all end-users and levelling the playing field by creating as much of an opportunity for a visually impaired person to explore in the society as someone who is not physically challenged or visually impaired.
“We always think about diversity and inclusion in a very broad manner and ask ourselves “how we can make our various institutions usable and accessible to all,” he said.
In Africa, people especially students with visual impairment encounter many challenges including accessibility, stereotyping and discrimination and these challenges impede their social and academic development in schools.
The Programs Manager of Orbis International, Madam Juanita Aryeh in a brief interview during the screening disclosed that Orbis International collaborated with Ashanti Regional Health Directorate to mark the World Sight Day to access and reach out some vulnerable people in the region.
She then urged Ghanaians especially those with good vision to at least go for check ups to avoid any future problems. She said; “Many people put off eye exams because they have “good vision”, but good vision doesn’t necessarily mean you have perfect eye health. Many eye diseases may not have any warning signs until they are in their later stages. Discovering an eye condition in its early stages makes it easier to treat and gives you a better chance of remedying the issue.”
She then urge the general public to take very good care of their eye and stop applying non-recommended chemicals in the eyes.
“Applying substance like, sea water and breast milk to the eye can can produce extensive damage to the eye can produce extensive damage to the ocular surface and anterior segment leading to visual impairment and disfigurement.
“Your eyes can last you a lifetime if you take good care of them.” She added.
World Sight Day (WSD) is an international day of awareness, held annually on every 13th, of October to focus attention on the global issue of eye health.
It became an official International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) event in the year 2000 and has been marked in different ways in countries around the world each year since then. WSD is coordinated by IAPB under the VISION 2020 Global Initiative.
Nana Yaw Owusu/Ashanti Region.
