Public Agenda (Accra)
Ama Achiaa Amankwah
13 October 2008
Accra — About five thousand (5000) people in the Northern and Upper West regions need to be prevented from totally going blind due to trachoma, a vitamin A deficiency disease.
Currently 220,000 people in Ghana are blind. Out of the number, 50% are treatable, 15% (trachoma) preventable, 20% (glaucoma) more difficult and 15% of others.
About 90% of the backlog of trachoma cases are said to be women. According to the Head of Eye Care Unit of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Oscar Afari Debrah, an estimated GH¢250, 000 is need to operate on the five thousand patients.
He said, unfortunately only one third of Ghanaians who need eye services get it due to inadequate eye doctors. Rather, he said the service is now doing with ophthalmic nurses, particularly in the regions.
"Funds are needed to operate on them before they become blind. It is the responsibility of anybody who is concerned that these 5000 Ghanaians do not have to become blind from a condition which can be prevented."
The WHO defines Trachoma as an infectious eye disease and a leading cause of the world's infectious blindness. Globally, 84 million people suffer from active infection and nearly 8 million people are visually impaired as a result of this disease.
It is caused by the bacterium 'chlamydia trachomatis' and it is spread by direct contact with eye, nose, and throat secretions from affected individuals, or contact with fomites (inanimate objects), such as towels that have had similar contact with these secretions.
Dr. Debrah, who is also the National Coordinator, Prevention of Blindness, in a presentation in Accra to mark the World Sight Day (WSD) said untreated trachoma infections result in (entropion), a painful form of permanent blindness when the eyelids turn inward, causing the eyelashes to scratch the cornea.
He explained that blinding endemic trachoma occurs in areas with poor hygiene, lack of water, absence of latrines or toilets, poverty in general, flies, close proximity to cattle, crowding and so forth.
He noted that blindness is a public health and socio economic problem that needs to be prevented to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
"Blindness is not limited by age, socio-economic status or gender. Reducing it is linked to enhancing social life and improving access to education, health and employment opportunities."
"There are 48 eye doctors countrywide, 24 are in Accra, 7 in Ashanti and some have no eye specialists. Eye care is essentially being run parallel to health care."
The WHO assembly has set a goal to eliminate avoidable blindness worldwide by the year 2020 dubbed "Vision 2020: Right to Sight" and is urging countries to strengthen eye care services and integrate into existing health systems.
Ghana signed the declaration of support on October 31, 2000 and the national theme for World Sight Day 2008 was, "Eyes on the Future- Fighting Vision Impairment in Later Life Now".
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