Outreach Eye Camps in Ghana

In August, Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP) partners at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), led by Dr. Seth Lartey, organized a cataract outreach event in the town of Aburi, which is located in the Eastern Region of Ghana.  This involved weeks of screening of potential patients throughout the region, transportation of equipment and staff, and consecutive days of performing cataract surgeries from morning to night.  All of that hard work was worth it, however, as the KATH team was able to provide 324 cataract surgeries to Ghanaians of all ages. 

Among the many patients was a young boy who had developed a cataract in one of his eyes and was badly in need of surgery (pictured above).  Upon having the bandage removed post-surgery, he said, “I feel normal, nobody will ask me about my eyes again. I am happy to go back to school. My friends won’t make fun of me anymore.”

The KATH team has been dedicated to steadily increasing their cataract outreach efforts in 2016. Including the event in Aburi, KATH has provided a total of 1,292 surgeries so far this year. This is more than double the 645 surgeries they provided via outreach events in all of 2015. It is an amazing accomplishment, and HCP looks forward to seeing them continue to grow in the upcoming years.

HCP and its partners are dedicated to eliminating unnecessary blindness due to cataracts. Cataract surgery is a relatively simple procedure that takes 10 minutes and approximately $25 in consumable costs.  However, it is estimated that 50,000 cataract surgeries are required each year in Ghana to eliminate the backlog of those suffering from cataract blindness.  There is still work to do, and HCP and KATH thank you for your continued support in this endeavor!

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital continues to expand its cataract outreach program to rural Ghana. This past month saw the outreach team head to Gyetease in Sekyere Central District. Though only about an hour and a half from Kumasi, Gyetease is a world away in terms of readily available access to ophthalmologic care. Without any local ophthalmologists, those with eye trouble are seen only infrequently and/or have to travel to seek care. In this largely agricultural region, blindness and other eye ailments can be a terrible burden for patients and their families. The last outreach program to this region was over two years ago.

 KATH’s clinical screening team examined nearly 1,000 people and 103 patients received surgery during the 3 days of surgery held. Of these, there were 3 children who received their vision back and 2 teens. Blindness among children and adolescents is particularly damaging with major impacts on children’s cognitive and physical development, and long-term social and economic challenges for their families. By reaching continuing to its outreach programs and regularly being able to visit villages lacking any ophthalmologic care, KATH is helping to reduce the burden of both childhood and adult blindness across Ghana.

KATH and HCP continue to thank donors like you for your continued support!