Government Initiatives to Improve Eye Health in Uganda
The Assistant Commissioner for Community Health, Dr Moses Muwanga, has emphasized the importance of training teachers on eye care as part of a broader initiative to identify and address eye defects among students. This effort is part of the Ministry of Health’s community program aimed at improving access to eye care services.
“We have established interventions at school levels in the community programme,” Dr Muwanga explained. “We have created visual reading corridors where we place some letters on the wall so every child can stand across that corridor and estimate whether he has a problem.”
He further elaborated on the process: “Every child would stand in that corridor, close his eye, and look at it. If he cannot read, then he goes to the teacher, and a referral system happens. We go to these schools and find out how many children have that problem, then these children are referred in our health structures right here from health center three up to the regional level.”
Dr Muwanga made these remarks during the opening of the cross-country child eye health workshop, which brought together representatives from Mozambique, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, and Uganda. The event took place in Entebbe and aimed to map out a five-year eye health strategy for Uganda and five other sub-Saharan countries.
“Not everyone who has an eye problem may have a refractive issue. It might be an infection that can be locally treated and then referred up,” he said.
The ministry is working on creating a roadmap for screening people and referring them for treatment. This initiative is crucial in reducing the burden of eye care in Uganda, where one in three people suffers from eye problems. In certain areas, the situation is even more severe, with five out of ten people facing eye-related issues.
“It becomes worse in some areas where you find that five in ten people have a problem of eye care, so as a country, we are trying to find out the prevalence of people who have an eye problem,” Dr Muwanga added.
Integrated Approach to Eye Health
Mr Silvester Kasozi, Director for Light for the World (LFW) Uganda, highlighted the need for an integrated approach to eye health and economic empowerment to promote social inclusion. He noted that most human development is linked to vision, with approximately 80% of learning occurring through sight.
“Once you don’t have proper eyesight, that is definitely curtailed. It is not to say that those who are visually impaired cannot thrive. They can thrive, but compared to those who actually have proper vision, they are definitely way much better,” he said.
Kasozi also called for the training of more ophthalmologists to address the growing eye care burden in the country. Currently, there are about 60 ophthalmologists in Uganda, excluding those who are retired. He pointed out the disparity between the number of professionals and the population.
“Imagine one person to one million people, and what that means. That is what makes services very expensive since many people across the country are seeking the few professionals,” he said.
Training Teachers for Early Detection
Mr Wolfgang Gindorfer, Thematic Director for child eye health and uncorrected refractive errors at LFW, emphasized the importance of training teachers to identify children with sight problems. This initiative ensures that after examinations, children are either referred for medical treatment or provided with necessary spectacles.
“We have started to develop a school eye health manual, which is now integrated into the teacher training curriculum. So that all teachers learn about school eye health, how to do a simple visual acuity test. After they have gone through their training as teachers, they can do acuity tests in the schools where they are posted,” he said.
Gindorfer also advocated for tax exemptions on optical corrections, spectacles, and low vision assistive devices. These measures would help ensure that individuals with eye defects receive the full range of recommended healthcare.
National Eye Health Programs
Ms Olga Kabre, the eye health program manager from Burkina Faso’s LFW, shared insights on enhancing good eye health. She mentioned that an effective national eye health program has been established to promote child eye health and strengthen the capacities of ophthalmologists through continuous training and specialization in pediatric ophthalmology.
This collaborative effort across multiple countries highlights the importance of a unified approach to addressing eye health challenges. By integrating education, training, and policy reforms, the goal is to create a sustainable system that supports individuals with eye-related conditions and improves overall quality of life.