Cape Coast, March 27, GNA - Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, the Provost of the College of Health and Allied Sciences (CoHAS), University of Cape Coast (UCC), has urged the public, especially persons with eye problems, to adhere to scheduled check-up plans to save their sights.

He said regular check-ups were important in preventing the loss of sight as wearing spectacles was not an end in itself.

Prof Boampong was speaking at the inauguration of the UCC Eye Clinic.

The Optometry Department, under the CoHAS, collaborated with the Directorate of University Health Services to establish the facility.

Prof Boampong revealed that one out of every four people of the country’s 30 million population suffers vision impairment with cataract and glaucoma being the major causes of blindness.

It was sad that ignorance most often contributed to the seriousness of the condition, which caused many people their sight, he said.

Prof Boampong, however, expressed the hope that with an elaborate outreach programme being undertaken at the regional and district levels many eye conditions would be identified and treated.

“People always say eye problems will not kill you, but I tell you that it will deprive you of many things in life," he said.

He appealed to the public to visit the eye clinic regularly and urged the management of the Clinic to carry out maintenance activities on all the equipment to preserve them.

Prof Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, the Vice Chancellor of UCC, said the Clinic was established by the University as its contribution to reducing blindness and visual impairment in Ghana.

He said it was in line with the University's vision to strongly position itself for innovative teaching, research, outreach and professional development.

Prof Ghartey Ampiah expressed the hope that with the inauguration of the facility quality eye care services for the University public and beyond would improve.

He appealed to the Government to equip the Clinic with more infrastructure to ensure better processes and review systems for efficient delivery.

He expressed appreciation to the Prudential Bank for supporting the Clinic.

The Clinic, which started operating in July 2018, had attended to more than 2,000 patients aside providing outreach eye care services to inmates of the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison and people of Mankessim.