Tema-Ghana, Nov. 21, GNA – The Ghana Optometric Association (GOA) in collaboration with the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office is to mark the first anniversary of the launch of “My Eyes! My Vision! public education campaign.
The initiative, launched in December 2021, seeks to challenge the public and policymakers to focus on vision as a health issue, which forms a critical component of humankind, but often neglected.
Dr. Alfred Gardemor, GOA Vice President commended the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office for the initiative which yielded positive results and with greater impact.
He said the first-anniversary commemoration would also serve as grounds to launch the second phase of the project to ensure that the two institutions continue to help educate the public on vision health.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Dr Remi Ninkpe, National President of the Ghana Optometric Association described the My Eyes! My Vision campaign as a timely intervention to promote visual health in Ghana, centring on assorted topics which were rolled out over the past 12 months.
He said the importance of eye health cannot be overemphasized, “some say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Some also say that next to death, what they fear most is losing their eyesight.
“The fact that a baby’s intimate interaction with the mother is not when it starts to suck breast but when he or she lifts his or her eyes and beholds his or her mother. This is a treasure we must do, all we can to preserve. The treasure of sight.”
He said to forestall these occurrences of preventive visual loss, “a lot behoves on us as Ghanaians to take our visual health seriously. Especially when it is well known that some conditions that may lead to irreversible visual loss or blindness are easily preventable on early detection or with inexpensive devices.
“Irreversible blindness leads to permanent disability and may further lead to a reduction in household income, vis-a-vis loss of production, loss of taxable income and loss of revenue and eventually affect the economy,” DSP/Dr Ninkpe stated.
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager explained that as part of “My Eyes! My Vision! Campaign, the Ghana Optometric Association used the Tema Ghana News Agency, Office platform to speak on the specific topic after which a series of news stories were developed and disseminated to the public.
He said the GNA Tema Regional Team also joined the Ghana Optometric Association to mark the 2022 World Glaucoma Awareness Day.
“We have successfully combined our professional calling as Optometric Physicians and Communication Experts to reach out to the public with a well-coordinated message over the period,” he said.
Mr. Ameyibor said the collaboration provided a major platform to educate the public on vision health and served as a critical stage for the association to reach out to the world.
