An optometrist, Dr. Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, has urged parents to take active responsibility for the eye health of their children instead of leaving it solely in the hands of health professionals.

He said good eyesight was essential for effective learning and overall child development, emphasising the need for parents to seek regular eye screening services for their children.

“Parents are always concerned about their children’s academic performance, but without good eyesight, learning becomes difficult.

“It is important that parents seek regular eye screening services for their children at the health facility and not wait for free screening services, though they are also good,” he stated.

Manager of Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic in Wa, Dr. Balure, made the call after a free eye screening exercise organised at Tanina in the Wa West District under the Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks) Programme.

The programme, implemented by Bliss Eye Care in partnership with Ghana Vision, a Swiss-based charity organisation, has, since its inception about a decade ago, impacted thousands of children in the Upper West region and beyond through free eye screening and treatment services.

The exercise in Tanina recorded improved attendance compared to patronage in the district in previous years, an indication of growing awareness among parents about the importance of child eye care.

A total of 684 children were screened during the exercise, out of which 42 were found to have normal eye conditions.

However, 623 children were diagnosed with pathological eye conditions requiring medication, eleven had refractive errors requiring eyeglasses, while eight cases of cataract and glaucoma were also detected.

Dr. Balure commended parents and guardians within the Tanina circuit for travelling far distances to access the service for their children.

He called for sustained awareness creation and community participation in eye health programmes to improve their children’s vision, which is necessary for improving educational outcomes and the well-being of children.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the Assembly Member for the Tanina Electoral Area, Mahama Abdul Fatawu Mwinibang, expressed gratitude to Bliss Eye Care and Ghana Vision for the intervention, as it helped bridge a critical healthcare access gap in the area.

He, however, appealed to the organisers to consider including older persons in subsequent screening exercises.

He encouraged parents and guardians to maintain close relationships with their children to enable them to detect eye-related problems early for treatment.

Madam Nafisa Ismail, a parent, expressed gratitude to the organisers after all six of her children benefited from the free screening exercise.

She said the exercise was helpful as it had helped save her from the financial burden of seeking such services in Wa.

Madam Ismail encouraged other parents and guardians to take advantage of such opportunities to help improve their children’s well-being.