Over 800 basic school children at Piisi and its surrounding communities in the Wa Municipality have received free eye screening as part of activities to mark the month of love.
The initiative was under the Blissful Sights for Kids (BS4Ks) outreach, implemented by Bliss Eye Care in partnership with Ghana Vision, a Swiss-based charity organisation, since 2015.
A total of 802 children from Piisi and surrounding communities, including Dapuoha, Kparsaga, and Konfabiala, were screened during the exercise, with 159 children found to have normal vision.
While 621 children presented pathological conditions requiring medication, 17 were diagnosed with refractive errors requiring corrective lenses, and five cases of cataract and glaucoma were identified.
A child, who was diagnosed with glaucoma during the exercise, had been booked for corrective surgery, while those requiring medications and corrective lenses were provided to them for free.
Dr. Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, the Manager of Bliss Eye Care, expressed the hope that the surgery could help restore some level of vision for the child.
He expressed concern about the high prevalence of eye conditions among children, which he said threatened their education and holistic development.
Dr. Balure urged parents and guardians to take the eye health of their children very seriously, stressing that sight, once lost, could be difficult or impossible to restore.
He noted that early detection and timely intervention remained critical in preventing avoidable blindness among children.
Mr Raymond Kanyiti, the President of the Rotaract Club of the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), said the club partnered with the BS4Ks initiative as part of its commitment to volunteerism and community service.
“As Rotractors, it is an everyday thing to volunteer our service, time and resources to impact society, so on a day like this, we see it necessary to come together with the BS4Ks to spread love”, he stated.
Mr Abudi Issahaku, the Wa Municipal School Health Education Programme (SHEP) Coordinator, expressed disappointment over low parental involvement in the exercise, particularly for children in lower primary who required adult support.
“When medication is prescribed, the parents need to understand the instructions to ensure proper administration.
Their presence would have enabled us to explain the conditions and treatment processes to them directly”, he said.
Mr Issahaku added that eye conditions among schoolchildren remained prevalent and said some children who previously had no visible problems could develop them over time, which underscored the need for regular screening.
The BS4Ks project is aimed at enhancing children’s education through improved eyesight, particularly in underserved communities.
The outreach at Piisi was organised in collaboration with the Rotaract Club of UBIDS and the Wa Municipal Education Directorate.
The Bliss Eye Care and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining the outreach to promote good eyesight and enhance academic performance among children in the Upper West Region and beyond.
