Ophthalmologists at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) are raising concerns over the increasing number of glaucoma cases among patients above 30 years who visit the facility with eye conditions.

According to a consultant ophthalmologist at the KATH Eye Clinic and Vice President of the Ophthalmological Society of Ghana, Akwasi Agyeman Ahmed, the hospital’s glaucoma clinic records the highest number of cases and glaucoma-related blindness.

He said the situation highlights the urgent need for regular eye check-ups to help manage the disease and prevent vision loss.

Speaking during the World Glaucoma Awareness Week celebration under the theme “Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World,” he noted that Ghana has one of the highest prevalence rates of Glaucoma, with data suggesting that about 700,000 people in the country are blind due to the condition.

“When it comes to figures in Ghana or in the country, I’ll start with Ghana first. So in Ghana, we have about 7 to 8 per cent of people in Ghana living with glaucoma. This number is people more than 30 years old.

“So you can see that over 30 years, the number is significant. If you look at about 7 to 8 per cent of people living with glaucoma, you have about 700,000 people who are blind or have visual impairments from glaucoma.

He added, “If you look at the country as a whole, of all blindness, glaucoma accounts for about 19 per cent of blindness. So if you take people who are blind, most of the time, glaucoma has a huge number.

“At KATH, we have various clinics, and the glaucoma clinic is one of the clinics that has the highest numbers. We have data to support it.”

Consultant ophthalmologist at KATH Eye Clinic and Vice President of the Ophthalmological Society of Ghana, Akwasi Agyeman Ahmed.

He urged the public to prioritise regular eye examinations, stressing that glaucoma is not curable but can be managed when detected early.

“What I usually would tell my patients, and I usually would tell Ghanaians when I get the opportunity, is, once you celebrate your birthday every day, try and do well to reward yourself.

“When you are rewarding yourself with a cake, remember to reward yourself with an eye checkup and a general medical checkup. What it means is that if you check and it’s detected early, maybe it will be detected when it’s 90 percent, and then we’ll start managing. It’s manageable but not curable,” he said.

As part of the week-long awareness activities, the KATH Eye Centre is also educating and screening drivers in the region. The initiative aims to detect vision problems early and prevent sight-related challenges that could potentially lead to road accidents.

Drivers who participated in the exercise expressed excitement about the initiative and called for more screening programmes of that nature.