Students at the Loggu Community Day Senior High School (SHS) in the Wa West District can now find relief from the challenges they faced in class due to eye problems.
Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic in Wa, conducted free eye screening and treatment services for the students under the Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks) Project as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
The project also extended its services to children in basic schools within the Loggu Circuit, in partnership with the Wa East District Education Directorate.
A total of 438 children were screened during the exercise, with 95 of them having normal eyes, 328 identified with pathological issues and provided medication, 14 found to have refractive errors and given eyeglasses, and one person screened for cataract and glaucoma.
The students expressed their gratitude to Bliss Eye Care and its partners for the free services, which would enable them to actively participate in their academic activities.
One of the students, Master Imoro Adams, shared his appreciation, mentioning that he was unsure how he could afford a new lens for reading after his old one expired.
However, through the screening, he received the necessary eyeglasses, alleviating his concerns and allowing him to study with ease.
Master Musah Inusah, another student said, “Sometimes when I am reading at a point, I will see the words blurred and I cannot read again so I must sit down for some time before I can see to read again.
Sometimes I must strain my eyes before I can read, so I am very grateful to the doctor and anyone who is supporting him,” he added.
Founder and Manager of Bliss Eye Care, Dr. Zakarea Al-hassan Balure, emphasized the significance of regular eye screening and proper treatment, particularly for children, to prevent avoidable vision impairment.
He expressed concern about children with eye problems receiving traditional medication instead of seeking proper medical treatment. Dr. Balure shared an instance of a child who had been suffering from eye issues for three years due to this practice.
Dr. Balure appealed to parents and guardians to prioritize seeking proper eye treatment from health facilities and eye specialists rather than relying on traditional remedies, which could lead to irreversible sight loss.
Mr. Sobo Abdul-Lateef Jabir, representing the District Education Director at the Wa East District Education Directorate, expressed gratitude to Bliss Eye Care for their intervention. He stressed the importance of good eyesight for children’s learning and highlighted the significance of early detection and treatment of eye problems in children.
Mr. Jabir further requested that the clinic also consider organizing eye screening exercises for teachers in the district to enhance teaching and learning.