There have been renewed calls for the public to observe regular eye screenings to avert the dangers of blindness caused by glaucoma.
Sixty million people worldwide are suffering from the vision threatening disease with the number expected to hit 80 million by the year 2020.
In Ghana, 700 thousand Ghanaians are suffering from glaucoma with 70 thousand already blind. It even gets the scarier when over 270 thousand people living with glaucoma in Ghana do not know of their condition which can lead to blindness.
Ultimate News’ random interviews with a number of residents in Kumasi suggest that the level of knowledge of the public about the sight threatening disease is very low.
“I have not even heard of it before and with my eye, there is no problem so there is nothing like me going to check ups and other stuffs,” a young man admitted.
Female students of the Kumasi Technical University told Ultimate News, “I have heard about it but I don’t know much about it. I have never done eye checkups before because I don’t have an eye problem,”
Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to the nerve that sends signals to the mind to cause vision. It is characterized by a build-up of pressure inside the eye.
An optometrist at the Rods and Cones optical and eye care centre in Kumasi, Dr Lawrencia Quaigraine told Ultimate News’ Makafui Ameyibor the causes of glaucoma are both racial and hereditary.
She explained that “Glaucoma is hereditary so if a parent or a distant relative has it, it simply means you have to get your eyes checked. Another thing too is with race. Africans are predisposed to a type of glaucoma and Asians are also disposed to another type of glaucoma and it is so with people from different parts of the world. In Ghana we have the primary open angle glaucoma. We also realize that most women according to statistics are predisposed to glaucoma.”
She advised that the best way to protect oneself from the effects of glaucoma is to observe regular eye screening.
She recommended, “At least once a year you should get your eyes checked because in Ghana over 700 thousand people are walking around on the streets with glaucoma and most of them don’t even know that they have glaucoma.”
By: Ghana/Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9FM/Makafui Ameyibor
The post Medics renew calls for regular eye checkups as blindness caused by glaucoma surges appeared first on Ultimate FM.
There have been renewed calls for the public to observe regular eye screenings to avert the dangers of blindness caused by glaucoma. Sixty million people worldwide are suffering from the vision threatening disease with the number expected to hit 80 million by the year 2020. In Ghana, 700 thousand Ghanaians are suffering from glaucoma with […]
The post Medics renew calls for regular eye checkups as blindness caused by glaucoma surges appeared first on Ultimate FM.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS