Lions Clubs pledge more support for Korle Bu Eye Centre
The Lions Clubs International has pledged more support to the Korle Bu Eye Centre to facilitate eye treatment at the centre.
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The First Vice-President of the Lions Clubs International (LCI), Lion Robert Corlew, made the pledge during a familiarisation visit to the facility to assess work there.
The team, which included the Executive Director of India, South Asia, Africa and the Middle East (ISAAME), Dr Neville Mehta; the Past District Convener for District 403, Lion Gloria Lassey, and other members of the club, were conducted round key departments of the facility.
Among the key departments visited were the theatre, the recovery room, wards, consulting rooms and the ocular prosthesis and diagnostic units.
The $3.5 million ultramodern eye care facility would serve the needs of patients in the country and other African countries.
Eye care cases
Ninety-six people have successfully undergone custom-made ocular prosthesis, popularly called artificial eye, at the Korle Bu Eye Centre over the last three years.
The centre currently attends to between 120 and 200 patients with general eye conditions, glaucoma, referral cases, ocular prosthesis and other eye conditions daily.
Even though there are some trained eye specialists to deal with eye conditions relating to the retina, the equipment to deliver such services is not readily available at the centre.
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Steps to address challenges
Lion Robert, who was satisfied with the work being done there, commended the local club members and said LCI had noted the challenges with power fluctuation in the country and would, therefore, take steps to provide a stabilisation plant to protect the sophisticated equipment from damage.
“When this great facility is completed, it will be the centre for the training of eye specialists. We will also work hard to install air conditioners to make the facility comfortable for the public,” he said.
He said LCI was focused on improving the eyesight of people across the world, fighting to reduce hunger and poverty, and supporting victims during periods of disaster.
The Head of Department of the Korle Bu Eye Centre, Dr Edith Dogbe, said the excessive heat in the facility was a major challenge to the effective delivery of eye care to patients.
“The structure was designed from a foreign angle with the hope of using modern technology to keep it cool. But unfortunately, the idea did not work in our local environment. However steps will be taken to improve upon the ventilation to provide some comfort to users,” she said.