Over 1,000 eye patients have received free eye treatment during a two days camp at Lubaga Hospital that was organized by the Icare Foundation and Eye Project Uganda in partnership with Uganda UK Health Alliance and Mooefields Eye Hospital.
The free eye camp that lasted for two days saw 100 cataracts and squints surgeries conducted while more patients were aided with eye glasses to enhance their sight.
The camp was organized under the theme ‘See Again: Come Start A New Life by Regaining Your Sight’.
Isaac Kigozi, the Executive Director ICare Foundation, a charity organization that offers free eye care and treatment, noted that it is through such camps that those in need can be reached with free treatment adding that they will continue to offer such aid to Ugandans.
“Most of the blindness cases we have in Uganda are due to avoidable conditions most of which are behavioural and life style related such as poor hand washing, home hygiene and diets that are deficient of omega-3 fatty acids, Zinc, Salenium, Vitamins A, C and E,” Kigozi said.
The US based Ugandan appealed to all members of the diaspora to stand out and offer help to Ugandans through sponsoring such camps.
“If every individual in the diaspora were to donate US$5 towards the restoration of sight pool to help our marginalized brothers and sisters, we would rid our country of visual impairment in less than 20 years,” Kigozi noted.
The Executive Director, Eye Project Uganda, Primrose Magala said that over 70% of the patients they treated have been suffering from Refractions and a few had cataracts.
Magala as well revealed that the project has plans of setting up a free eye hospital to cater for the needy at all time.
“We shall in future set up Uganda Eye Institute that shall be having a free public unit for all people who cannot afford treatment fees as it is the case at Moorfields,” Magala said.
