Diabetic patients urged to be conscious of their eye condition

Diabetic patients have been urged to check their eye conditions regularly to avoid contracting eye related diseases.

Dr Kwame Amanfoh, Ophthalmic medical personnel working in the United States of America, said diabetes speed up the formulation of cataract and make the eye prone to diseases and injuries.

He was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview on Tuesday, after Glimpse of Hope, a US-based non-governmental organization conducted a free eye screening exercise for students and staff of the Kintampo Senior High School at Kintampo in the Brong-Ahafo Region.

Dr Amanfoh, a Ghanaian US-based eye specialist at the Shallotte Eye, Nose and Throat center in the States observed with concern that eye diseases were rife in the country, and this he attributed to the failure of many Ghanaians to go for periodic eye test and examination.

He said glaucoma has no cure but if the disease is detected early, drugs could be administered to the patient to reduce the eye pressures which lead to blindness.

Dr Amanfoh who said he had worked at the Center for 17 years, indicated with emphasis that because glaucoma was hereditary there was the need for all Ghanaians to be conscious of their eye conditions.

According to the eye specialist, research conducted in the country showed that eye diseases were widespread in rural areas, and appealed to the government to facilitate the training of more ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses and motivate them to work in rural areas to reverse the worrying trend.

Mr Kwabena T Ekuban, the President of the Glimpse of Hope, told the GNA in a telephone interview that the NGO was established 11 years ago and worked to promote the health conditions of people especially those in rural communities.

He said as part of its activities, the NGO had donated several medical devices worth millions of dollars to the Kintampo government hospital.

Mr Ekuban commended organizations and individuals especially those abroad partnering with the NGO to help improve on the health conditions of the rural folks.