Hamile: Dr Zakarea Al-Hasan Balure, an Optometrist, has urged the public to take full responsibility for their eye health and emphasised that good vision begins with personal commitment rather than solely relying on health professionals. ‘Your eye health is your responsibility. When you lose your sight, you are the one who lives with the pain and limitations that come with it. As eye care professionals, we are only here to guide and help you maintain good vision,’ he stated.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr Balure, who is also the Manager of Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic in Wa, said this in Hamile in the Lambussie District during a free eye screening exercise by Bliss Eye Care for children in Hamile Circuit to mark this year’s World Sight Day. The commemoration was on the theme: ‘Love Your Eyes’ to emphasise the need for personal responsibility in caring for one’s eyes. The free screening exercise formed part of the Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks) project, an initiative of Bliss Eye Care in partnership with Ghana Vision, a Swiss-based charity organisation.
A total of 878 children were screened during the exercise, out of which 173 had normal eyesight, 679 were diagnosed with pathological conditions, 22 had refractive errors, and four were identified with cataract and glaucoma. Dr. Balure indicated that the ‘Love Your Eyes’ campaign had been sustained for the past three years to create a culture of self-responsibility in eye care and encourage Ghanaians to prioritise their vision as an essential part of their overall well-being.
He explained that their regular free eye screening outreach was driven by the belief that ‘prevention is more effective and affordable than cure.’ He expressed concern that many people only visit eye clinics when they experience severe vision problems but noted that some eye conditions become noticeable only at their advanced stages, making treatment more difficult.
The Optometrist, therefore, encouraged parents and guardians to cultivate the habit of regular eye check-ups for themselves and their children since some of the conditions presented at the facilities were preventable. He indicated that when sight problems were detected early, some conditions could be corrected or managed to prevent permanent vision loss. Dr. Balure, however, observed that public attitudes toward eye health were improving, though more education and sensitisation were still needed.
Mr Anthony Delle, the Deputy Director of Education for the Lambussie District, commended Bliss Eye Care for extending the exercise to the district and said good vision was essential to effective learning. He appealed to parents to pay attention to their children’s eye health and to seek medical help promptly when signs of discomfort or difficulty seeing were noticed. ‘Parents must be observant. If a child keeps blinking, squinting, or struggles to see clearly, they should be taken to the hospital immediately for examination,’ Mr Delle indicated.