KBTH Marks World Ocular Prosthesis Day

By Bernard Benghan

The Ocular Prosthesis Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has joined the rest of the world to mark World Ocular Prosthesis Day last Tuesday in Accra.

The day, which was celebrated with a public lecture and documentary on the unit, was on the theme: "Customise ocular prosthesis: An eye for beauty."

Ocular prosthesis is an artificial eye used to replace an absent natural eye following an injury or surgical removal of an eye, which has become pathysical or small due to an infection.

Since the establishment of the unit in 2013, 259 individuals, who have suffered various eye infections, had undergone ocular prosthesis at the hospital.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Head of the Eye Centre, Dr Yakubu Seidu Adams, encouraged people suffering from various eye infections to seek early treatment, since the process of replacing the eye with ocular prosthesis was painless.

She said it took three days for a person to go through the process, noting that between two and four people visited the facility every week.

Dr Adams said the unit was fully equipped with ultramodern facilities and the eye was manufactured at the hospital.

She said, although, there were some challenges, which include additional trained personnel and resources, the hospital management were in the process of addressing them.

An ocularist, Evelyn Kyere, who was sponsored by the hospital to India for specialisation, said, the artificial eye fitted well into the socket after the surgery.

That, she explained, made the eye look more natural to enhance the appearance of the person as well as boost the confidence and self esteem.

Madam Kyere said the cost of an ocular prosthesis was GH?800, and called for more education and sensitisation in order for people to know more about the work of the unit.

The Chief Executive Officer of KBTH, Dr Daniel Asare, assured that the hospital would source for funds to train more personnel and called on individuals and benevolent organisations for support.

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