Kajiado County, Kenya, August 30, 2023 – Patients living in Kenya’s Kajiado County and surrounding areas will have access to comprehensive eye health care, thanks to a new eye unit now open in the community.
The Kajiado County Referral Hospital Eye Unit was established in partnership by Operation Eyesight Universal with the County Department of Health and constructed in partnership with CBM Christian Blind Mission. Equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical equipment, the new facility can provide a range of eye health services, including comprehensive eye exams and prescription eyeglasses fittings to diagnoses and sight-restoring eye surgery.
“Healthy eyes open up a future full of possibility and opportunity for individuals and entire communities,” says Alice Mwangi, Operation Eyesight’s Country Director for Kenya. “We are bringing quality eye health care to people’s front doors, and this new eye unit will serve as a hub for the entire community, connecting people with not only eye health care but also their local health system.”
The new eye unit was constructed as part of the Vision Impact Project, a four-year project started in October 2021 that aims to bring eye health care to unreached communities in Kajiado County, where blinding trachoma is endemic and other leading causes of vision loss include uncorrected refractive error and cataract. The project will train a local team of 23 local eye care workers and 175 eye screeners to use Peek Vision’s mobile app for screening and referrals. They will screen nearly 720,000 residents through door-to-door outreach. The project will also train 140 healthcare providers in primary eye care.
“Trachoma and other eye diseases such as cataract and untreated refractive error have had a devastating impact on many patients and families in the area, and many have faced barriers to accessing eye health care, including cost and lack of locally-available services,” explains Mwangi. “Today, we are able to better meet demand while also raising awareness about the eye health services that are now available, through education in the surrounding community.”
Since the project launched, Operation Eyesight has trained 33 local community health volunteers to deliver health education, screen community members for eye problems and refer them for treatment if needed. So far, 199,894 people have been screened for eye conditions and over 21,822 people have received treatment, including more than 5,125 people who have received prescription eyeglasses and 183 people who received sight-restoring cataract surgery.
“This is about taking a collaborative approach to care. It starts with outreach in the community and connecting patients and families with comprehensive eye care through this new eye unit,” says Dr. Ritu Ghosh, Operation Eyesight’s Global Director, International Programmes. “Together with the community and local leaders, we are not only transforming eye health care in the region but also strengthening the entire health system.”
To date, Operation Eyesight and partners have declared 35 villages in Kenya as avoidable blindness-free, which means the communities are free of any untreated cases of vision loss.
Operation Eyesight is a Canada-based international development organization working to prevent blindness and restore sight in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In 2023, Operation Eyesight is celebrating 60 years of collaborating with local hospitals and government partners to invest in sustainable eye health treatment, blindness prevention and community development. Operation Eyesight is implementing projects in eight counties in Kenya: Kajiado, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Kisii, Narok, Transnzoia, Uasin-Gishu and West Pokot.
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For further information please contact:
Colin Zak
Communications Specialist
Operation Eyesight Universal
Zakc [at] operationeyesight.com
@OpEyesight
