The wearing of eye glasses cannot prevent or correct Glaucoma, the president of the Ophthalmological Society of Ghana (OSG), DrDzifa-Bella Ofori-Adjei, has cautioned.
Addressing the launch of this year’s World Glaucoma Week (WGW) in Accra yesterday, Dr Ofori-Adjei urged members of the public to rather get screened for glaucoma, at least once a year, especially at age 30 and above, to save their sight.
“You can wear glasses and still be infected by glaucoma because spectacles only correct refractive errors and not the optic nerves so I appeal to Ghanaians to take time off their busy schedule to get screened, that is the only way to save your sight in this bright world,” she advised.
On the theme; “The world is bright so, let’s save our sight,” the WGW is commemorated from March 6 to 12every year, to raise awareness on glaucoma, a condition that damages one’s optic nerves and a leading cause of irreversible blindness across the globe.
At the end of 2020, 76 million people suffered glaucoma with 11 million going blind from the disease worldwide and this, according to the World Glaucoma Association could rise to 112 million in the next 20 years (2040).
In Ghana, about 500,000 people aged 40 years and above are currently affected by glaucoma which accounts for almost 20 percent of all causes of blindness in the country.
Dr Ofori-Adjei described glaucoma as a silent killer often showing no signs and symptoms among individuals hence, routine screening for the disease, was the only means of early detection and treatment.
Common risk factors for the condition, she indicated, were ageing, family history, genetics and origin adding that “Ghana was one of the worst affected countries in the world with glaucoma cases.”
The president noted however that the disease was treatable with interventions including medical and surgical treatment available in-country to delay or prevent blindness from glaucoma.
She pleaded with government to include more glaucoma drugs on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cushion patients from the financial cost of treating the disease.
Dr Ofori-Adjei mentioned ongoing research works on glaucoma to determine genes associated with the condition to help in earlier diagnosis and newer treatments for patients.
The National president for the Glaucoma Association of Ghana, Mr Harrison Abutiate, who launched the week-long celebration, said some health institutions and eye centres across the country were offering free screening and other discounted surgical procedures for eye conditions to the public this month.
He mentioned the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital and Cocoa Clinic, as some health facilities offering such services and urged members of the public to take advantage of them to discover ‘hidden’ eye conditions for early treatment.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
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