Protect the eyes from exposure to direct environmental factors

Protect the eyes from exposure to direct contact to several environmental factors which could be detrimental to your eyes, Dr Kwame Oben-Nyarko, Optometrist Third Eye Care and Vision Centre has stated.

He said spectacles can also be used for the correction of several conditions including the doubling of vision, latent, and manifest deviations of the eyes.

Dr Oben-Nyarko stated speaking on: “Acquiring a pair of spectacles: What you need to know” explained that it may sound like an easy task but there are several factors that need to be considered before a spectacle is actually dispensed.

He identified some of the factors as professionals responsible for dispensing spectacles; places to acquire it; the processes involved; different spectacle options available depending on the unique needs of the individual and different types of materials used for making lenses and frames.

Others include the accessories for spectacles and the cleaning processes of spectacles.

Dr. Oben-Nyarko stated at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office and the Ghana Optometric Association fortnightly public sensitization initiative “GNA-GOA: My Eye! My Vision!

The fortnight initiative is a collaborative public education advocacy campaign to promote the need for people to access eye care and also to draw attention to vision health.

The GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision! The initiative also seeks to challenge the public and policymakers to focus on vision as a health issue, which forms a critical component of mankind’s wellbeing but is often neglected.

Dr Oben-Nyarko also noted that there are two professionals mainly involved in the dispensing of glasses; “the professionals are Optometrists and Opticians but their roles vary, however, their work comes together to deliver spectacles of the highest standard and visual quality”.

He said the optometrist is your eyes’ general practitioner and the first point of call into the eye care industry, while an optician is a licensed technician who has been trained to design, provide and “fit” corrective lenses for vision care patients using prescriptions provided by their optometrists.

“The work of these two professionals come together to ensure a proper pair of spectacles is dispensed to the wearer,” he said.

Dr Kingsley Hedornu, Optometrist at the Tema Christian Eye Center responding to questions explained that eye care must be a priority of all, “we must not wait until there is a problem.

“Proper eye care requires that at least once a year, you check your eyes to ensure that it is protected at all times”.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, GNA-Tema Regional Manager explained that the two professional bodies have agreed to work together on a public sensitization campaign dubbed: “GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision” to draw attention to vision health.

“We are combining the forces of our professional calling as Optometric Physicians and Communication Experts to reach out to the public with a well-coordinated message.

“We believe such collaboration would serve as a major platform to educate the

public on vision health and also serves as a critical stage for the association to reach out to the world,” Mr. Ameyibor noted.