Kumasi, May 30, GNA - The Ashanti Vision Centre, an eye clinic that provides services in refractive errors, low vision and blindness prevention, has been inaugurated at Ayeduase in Kumasi.

It is a collaborative project between the International Centre for Eye Care Education (ICEE) and the Department of Optometry and Visual Science of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). Professor Aboagye Menyeh, Provost of the College of Science of the University, said the Centre provide access to affordable spectacles with the creation of an optical dispensing unit. It would also serve as a training centre for optometrists to build their capacity to undertake outreach programmes to reduce the incidence of visual impairments.

The Provost expressed concern about the upsurge of eye diseases such as cataract, trachoma, glaucoma, river blindness and low vision, especially in developing countries. The ICEE estimates that approximately 322 million people worldwide live with serious visual impairments. Of these, 45 million people are blind, 124 million people have low vision, with 153 million people visually impaired due to uncorrected refractive errors. The Centre has also established the fact that about 36 million of the world's blind persons live in Africa.

Professor Menyeh called for regular education of the public on eye care issues to reduce the incidence of blindness on the continent. Professor Daniel Buor, Provost of the College of Arts and Social Sciences of KNUST, challenged industrialized nations to work hard to reduce greenhouse emissions since they were responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer with negative effects on the eye. 30 May 10