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The SOS Children’s Villages Ghana (SOS- CV) has organised a free eye screening exercise for 442 pupils in public schools in Asokore Mampong under its School Health Education Programme (SHEP).

This SHEP, under the Quality Education Now (QEN) project, is a free eye screening exercise on the theme: “See Well” and expected to cover about 1500 pupils in kindergarten, primary and the junior high schools in Asokore Mampong as part of activities to ensure effective learning.

Mr Joseph Kudjo Yane, the Project Co-ordinator of QEN-Kumasi, said SOS CV-Ghana facilitated the exercise to help create awareness of possible eye defects through a comprehensive eye screening and ocular health education in various schools across the country.

He said the eye screening exercise was chosen by the QEN project because of the high prevalence of eye abnormalities among school children in Ghana.

He said the QEN project chose the Asokore Mampong cluster of schools for the eye screening activity because most of those children were from poor homes and, therefore, could not afford to do the screening on their own.

Mr Yane said the SOS CV-Ghana, as a result of resource constraints, would not be able to provide treatment and lenses for all the 442 pupils after the screening.

He said the authorities, therefore, partnered the See Well Eye Care to make available refraction and dispensing of optical aids for those with refractive errors for treatment at a very moderate price for children at their own cost.

He pleaded with all philanthropist and business men and women to support the project.

Dr Samuel Hodor Mensah, the Outreach Director of See Well Eye Care, said the most common conditions identified were allergies of the eye, refractive errors and suspected glaucoma.

He said the pupils with suspected glaucoma would be referred to the Okomfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for further treatments and medication.

Dr Mensah urged Ghanaians to take good care of their eyes, wash their face with clean water and visit the optometrist regularly.