A community health outreach in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region has uncovered widespread delays in seeking treatment for eye conditions, including neglected vision problems among children.
Health professionals who participated in the six-day Nabdam Health Summit 2026 said fear, misconceptions and reliance on traditional remedies were among the factors causing residents to postpone professional eye care.
The exercise, held from August 31 to September 5 at health centres in Sakote, Nangodi, Logre, Gundoug/Woredaa and Pelungu, screened 1,447 people for eye conditions, with 199 beneficiaries scheduled for cataract surgery.
The programme was organised and funded by Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, Member of Parliament for Nabdam and Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Health, in partnership with the Haven of Love Children’s Foundation.
It offered free eye screening, medical consultations, blood pressure and diabetes checks, as well as cataract surgery bookings.
Children among those affected
The eye-care team said the outreach revealed cases of allergic conjunctivitis, uncorrected refractive errors and suspected early cataracts among children.
According to the professionals, some parents attributed their children’s visual difficulties to spiritual causes or assumed the problems would disappear as the children grew.
They cautioned that delayed treatment could affect children’s visual development and academic performance.
The team comprised Dr Dennis Keeri Yennemi, an optometrist, and Mr Daniel Seyram Mensah, an optician, both from the Upper East Regional Hospital, together with ophthalmic nurses Madam Helen Adubah and Madam Sheila Abugri from the Zebilla and Bongo hospitals.
They said the findings pointed to the need for sustained eye-health education at the community level rather than relying solely on periodic outreach programmes.
Call for stronger primary eye care
The professionals identified the limited availability of primary eye-care personnel at health-centre level as another major challenge confronting residents.
They recommended the deployment of trained primary eye-care personnel or ophthalmic nurses to health facilities in the district, supported with basic eye-screening equipment.
They also called for Community Health Officers to be trained to identify eye conditions early, provide basic eye-health education and refer suspected cases to appropriate facilities.
The team urged health authorities and stakeholders to intensify community education through local radio, community durbars, information centres, CHPS compounds, churches, mosques and other public gatherings.
They also recommended information materials in appropriate local languages, stronger school-based eye-screening programmes and improved referral systems between schools and health facilities.
Parents, they said, should receive more eye-health education during Child Welfare Clinics and antenatal sessions.
Among older residents, the team reported a high prevalence of dry-eye symptoms and age-related eye complaints and called for improved access to essential ophthalmic medicines and appropriate health education.
Beyond screening
Mr Samuel Nana-Bekai Djirackor, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Haven of Love Children’s Foundation, said the outreach was designed not only to provide immediate healthcare but also to identify health needs and connect residents with appropriate services.
He said the experience had generated useful information for future community health planning, particularly in eye care, diabetes, hypertension, preventive health education and services for hard-to-reach communities.
Mr Djirackor said the lessons from the summit would guide the Foundation’s future interventions as it pursued its mission of “Restoring Hope, Transforming Lives, Loving the Treasured.”
The health professionals also called for sustained collaboration among health authorities, community leaders, civil society organisations and other stakeholders to ensure regular screening, referral and follow-up care beyond the outreach period.
