Patients with eye conditions must be referred to NCD clinics – Optometrist
Dr Daniel Opoku Gyamfi, an Optometrist at Savannah Opticals has said adult patients diagnosed with an eye condition must be referred to the Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) clinic for further examination as a treatment protocol.
He said most eye health conditions manifested in individuals, who had other NCDs, adding that common eye conditions were non-communicable.
He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tamale on World Sight Day, a day marked every October to raise awareness on eye care.
Dr Gyamfi said studies had shown that people with vision loss or other eye conditions were more likely to have NCDs stating that diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery diseases had been proven to be the leading causes of cataract.
He noted that refractive error, cataract, glaucoma and age-related muscular degeneration were NCDs that could emerge over a patient’s lifetime.
He added that “Stroke and other cerebrovascular conditions occur when there is an obstruction of blood flow leading to a part of the brain. If the part of the brain affects vision, there may be partial or total loss of vision.”
He, however, called for the inclusion of eye care discussions on NCDs as well as allocation of resources towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
Source: GNA