Majority of Ghanaians suffer from avoidable blindness

Accra, Oct. 9, GNA - About 75 per cent of blindness in Ghana is caused by cataract, glaucoma, trachoma, onchocerciasis and childhood blindness, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, said in Accra on Thursday.

He said some blindness were avoidable and curable. This was contained in a speech read for him at the launch of this year's World Sight Day, which is being celebrated under the theme: "Imagine Ghana Free From Avoidable Blindness" under the global theme: "Seeing Is Highly Commendable".

He said childhood blindness should be given special care since the burden of blindness on a child would become a permanent impairment if not detected and treated early.

He noted that Ghana was committed to the global initiative of the "right to sight" which was aimed at eliminating the main causes of avoidable blindness by the year 2020.

Dr Afriyie said the Ministry had developed a national eye health programme strategy framework for action, which would be implemented within the regional health delivery system.

Ghana has been picked, as the Centre in West Africa to provide quality paediatric eye care and to train eye doctors from the countries within the Sub-Region by the Eye Unit of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital by July 2004.

Dr Afriyie called for a national partnership that would include individuals, communities, Government, non-governmental organisations and health workers to reduce the burden of avoidable blindness.

Dr Marian Hagan, Head of the Ophthalmology Department of the Ministry of Health, said prevention of blindness among children was very essential and reiterated the need to work in partnership to provide good nutrition and potable water to all communities, especially the endemic ones.

"We cannot look on while our innocent children lose their sight to lack of proper nutrition such as Vitamin A deficiency and non availability of potable water."

Messages from partners in the fight, which included Lions Club, Sight Savers International, Christoffel Blinden Mission, Swiss Red Cross and the International Trachoma Initiative, pledged their continuous support to eliminate avoidable blindness.