Freetown — Sightsavers International said eye drops produced by a local eye drops unit in Labe, Guinea are well accepted by the people and have contributed to reducing huge costs for eye care services in the region.

Early this year the organization visited the Boké regional hospital with the aim of identifying a suitable space for an eye care centre.

A building was identified by the hospital and the next steps are to suggest modifications/extension work needed to construct an eye unit.

In Sierra Leone the Mano River Union onchocerciasis (river blindness) coordination meeting had put together cross-border activities to prevent the disease from spreading across to neighbouring countries.

Representatives from Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone participated in the two-day meeting.

River blindness is caused by a worm that breeds in fast-flowing rivers. It is a major cause of blindness in west and central Africa. Sightsavers is combating it with the drug Mectizan.

Around 18 million people are infected, of whom roughly 300,000 are irreversibly blind. 99 per cent of those with river blindness live in Africa while a further 125 million people are currently at risk from infection.

Meanwhile, all four countries have agreed to undertake simultaneous cross-border distribution by end of September 2008. A highlight for Guinea was that some assessment work would be carried out at the border with Sierra Leone.

"When you think about it, the very act of actually seeing the world around us is an astonishing thing, so it is hardly surprising that there are so many ways in which we can suffer sight loss or reduction," the Sightsavers.

The organization said if we are to eliminate avoidable blindness and ensure that all visually impaired people are able to enjoy the same opportunities as other people, we need to influence the policies and practices of decision makers across the world.