Koforidua, Feb. 18, GNA - Statistics available at the Eastern Regional Hospital, Koforidua, has said more men were getting involved in the health care of their wives and children.

Ms Susana Akrofi-Mante, Public Health Nurse of the hospital, said this at the Annual Performance Review Conference of the hospital in Koforidua on Thursday.

She explained that the statistics showed improvement in the number of men who accompanied their wives to anti-natal, post-natal and family planning clinics of the hospital during the year under review.

An ophthalmologist of the hospital, Dr James Addy, said research in 2009 by the Eye Clinic of the hospital showed that the prevalence of blindness in the Eastern Region was 0.7 per cent which was lower than the national average of 1.0 per cent.

He said half of the blind cases in the region were caused by cataract. Dr Addy said on the average, glaucoma was the second highest cause of blindness in the country including the Eastern Region adding 93Gh= ana is one of the countries with the highest glaucoma cases". Mr Isaac Safo-Acheampong, a clinical psychologist of the hospital, said the hospital recorded 310 new mental cases during the year under revie= w and explained that, the high number of psychiatric cases could be the resul= t of stress and depression.