Journalists in Kumasi benefit from free eye screening
As part of an aggressive campaign to create awareness on the Glaucoma eye disease, the Eye Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Eye Centre on Saturday organized a free eye screening for Journalists in Kumasi and their dependants.
The event climaxed a weeklong celebration of this year’s World Glaucoma Day held under the theme: “The world is a wonder to see every day, don’t let Glaucoma get in the way”.
It is being supported by the Nwabiagya Rural Bank and the Ashanti Regional Ghana Journalists Association.
Speaking to a section of the journalists on the sidelines of the screening, which took place at the COCOBOD Jubilee House in Kumasi on Saturday, Dr Doreen Adebi Frimpong, an Ophtalmologist at the KATH eye Centre said, the disease, a major cause of blindness in Ghana, affects about 700,000 people.
She said about half of those affected did not know their status. Glaucoma is an irreversible cause of blindness that do not have any pain or symptoms at any stage.
Early detection of the disease will pave way for its effective control and management.
Dr Adebi Frimpong said public sensitisation was needed to enable them go for screening at least once every year at a health facility.
Glaucoma has an unknown cause and predominantly affects the black race but certain predisposing factors such as age, family history and refraction error have been known to trigger the disease.
Mr. Kwame Frimpong, Public Relations Officer of KATH said, Journalists were chosen to benefit from the screening because they had been identified to be instrumental in the creation of awareness to the public to help stem the disease.
Source: GNA