Dr Kwadwo Amoah, Ashanti Regional Ophthalmologist, has urged the citizenry to desist from the use of unorthodox remedies for eye problems and rather, resort to certified health facilities for proper diagnosis and treatment of eye problems.
He said more often than not, some people with eye problems resort to the use of herbal concoctions and other unorthodox treatment practices and it was when the problem escalated that they try to seek Ophthalmologist intervention.
This situation, he said, was worrying and called for public education on the dangers associated with unorthodox remedies on the eye.
Dr Amoah made the call during an interaction with journalists after a free eye screening exercise organized for workers of the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi.
It was organized by Orbis International Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service as part of activities marking this year’s World Sight Day.
This year’s celebration was under the theme: “Love your sight at work”, a global call to all corporate leaders to prioritize their workers eye health and understand the importance of the vision at the work place.
World Sight Day is a global event observed annually on October 12, and aims at creating awareness and addressing issues related to eye health to help eradicate vision impairment and blindness.
Dr Amoah explained that vision loss was insidious, and often robbing individuals of their sight before they even realized it.
It was, therefore, imperative that people prioritized eye health alongside other essential health interventions to ensure that problems could be diagnosed, treated, and, in many cases, cured.
He said eye care and rehabilitation services should be accessible, inclusive, and affordable to everyone, regardless of their location or socio-economic status.
He was, however, worried about the use of the media to advertise all kinds of products and facilities, which claimed to have treatment for eye problems and asked the media to put a stop to that.
Dr. Adolf Ollenu, Programmes Director for Orbis International Ghana, said it was very important to bring eye care closer to the work place since most workers don’t have time to check the status of their eye.
He said people must understand the importance of caring for their own eye health and demand access to services, free from any social stigma.
“No matter where you are or what job you do, it is important to prioritize and protect your eye health at work”, he stated.
Some of the people who took part in the eye screening exercise thanked Orbis International Ghana, and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) for bringing the eye screening closer to them.
GNA