---

---

Uganda: Lack of Eye Specialists Fuels Blindness in North

Francis Kagolo

20 July 2008

---

Kampala — Francis Okuku's passion was to become a medical doctor. But his fate was sealed by the widespread shortage of ophthalmologists (eye doctors) in the country. He lost his sight to cataract, an eye defect caused by exposure to radiation, effects of diabetes and hypertension or eye injury.

All was well with Okuku until his Senior Five, when the 23-year-old from Erute sub-county in Lira, developed a problem with one of his eyes.

Reading became a nightmare and he could hardly see the writing on the blackboard. Okuku put up a fight but in the end his condition forced him to drop out of school.

"I felt like there was a hole in my eye. I was so terrified," he recalls. "When I scored only five points in my exams, I realised I could not perform any better. I decided to leave studies and stay at home."

At home, his lifestyle had to change. He had to get used to walking with the help of a stick. "For someone who used to play football and engage in other activities, having to just sit down was distressing," he says.

"Using one eye to see is not easy. I cannot walk after 6:00pm as it is difficult to find my way."

Okuku is only one of the thousands of people in northern Uganda who have lost their sight to cataract. Health workers estimate that there are over 12,000 blind people in the districts of Apac, Oyam and Lira.

Information from ORBIS, a network dedicated to saving sight worldwide, shows that Uganda has one of the highest numbers of blind people in sub-Saharan Africa. As many as 420,000 are blind, yet the country has only 39 eye specialists.

There is only one eye specialist, Dr. Ben Watmon, covering three referral hospitals and 20 health centres in northern Uganda. Dr. Watmon says he is overworked.

"I am supposed to work in Gulu, Amurru, Kitgum and Pader, but I am called upon to intervene in the Lango region. Blindness is increasing here. It is too much for me."

Blindness is the most serious health problem in the area, says Lira Hospital senior administrator, Dr. Benson Obong. "The eye department has a 30-bed ward but on average 50 patients are registered every day."

Obong decries the lack of surgeons and equipment to handle the increasing eye problems. "Although Lira Hospital is the regional referral unit, we do not have an ophthalmic surgeon to handle eye cases."

Apac Hospital's principal nursing officer, Catherine Erach, said: "Of the 500,000 people in the district, 1% (about 5,000) are blind."

In an effort to address this problem, the Mukwano Group of Companies held a one-month eye surgical camp in Lango sub-region. Along with over 600 residents of Dokolo, Apac, Lira and Oyam, Okuku received free treatment during the camp.

Dr. Alfred Ojok who operated on Okuku said his iris had become inflamed.

For those who are unable to benefit from such services, the absence of ophthalmologists, medics said, forces them to turn to traditional herbalists. Dr. Ojok said the herbs cause ulceration of the eyes, leading to complete loss of sight.

Another hindrance to treatment of cataracts is the misconception that once operated on, a victim would lose sight completely.

Okuku's sister, Mary Achieng, said after they realised that Okuku had a cataract, they resorted to traditional herbs.

"People told us that if we took him to hospital, he would become totally blind. So we used traditional herbs but he still lost his sight."

According to health workers, cataracts and blindness can be prevented and treated if the inadequacy of ophthalmologists is checked.

"We need to eliminate blindness," said Dr. Watmon. "Most cases of blindness can be prevented or treated."

Be the first to Write a Comment!

---