NGO gives free eye screening to community

Kuntanase (Ash), July.13, GNA - Gabbsandra International, a Holland-based non-governmental organisation, which cares for eyes with support from Rich Eye Care Centre in Accra, on Tuesday undertook an eye screening exercise for about 100 people at Kuntanase in the Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma District of Ashanti.

Those who needed medication bought drugs at subsidised prices for treatment.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency during the exercise, Mr Kofi Djisan, Public Relations Officer of Gabbsandra International said the main objective of the exercise was to help people know about their eye conditions so that those who had problems could treat them as quickly as possible.

He said a lot of Ghanaians continued to have eye problems some of which when detected early could be treated or controlled. Mr Djisan said they had already visited over nine communities in Ashanti and would visit about 30 major towns in the region before moving on to Brong Ahafo.

Mr Rudolf Mensah, an optician working with the NGO said cataract was the major eye disease in the country and that the NGO normally referred people with the problem to the Agogo Presbyterian Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Korle Bu or any of the major hospitals in the country for operation or major treatment.

He appealed to people to go for eye check-ups every three months to help detect any problems to enable them to get the needed treatment instead of waiting till it reached uncontrollable levels before rushing to the hospital.