Several people from all walks of life have turned up for a free eye camp organized by Kiruddu National Referral Hospital in conjunction with The Northern Indian Cultural Association. This is the first eye camp so far organized by the hospital.

The camp which started today will run for three days until Saturday, offering Cataract Surgery, Glaucoma Screening, and treatment of all eye conditions.

Uganda’s health ministry links eye problems to growing recklessness among Ugandans when it comes to eye care. Statistics reveal that 2.5 million Ugandans have both moderate and severe eye-related impairments.

Approximately 150,000 persons accounting for 0.4% are completely blind.

On learning that Kiruddu national referral hospital has organized a free eye camp, the Church of Uganda Family TV crew immediately embarked on a fact-finding mission to establish facts about eye care and treatment and why such camps are important to the common Ugandan.

Dr. Nabasirye Miriam, an ophthalmologist highlights the duration of the camp, the turn-up, and the reasons that account for the numerous cases of cataracts in Uganda.

With most health camps across the country having eye care and treatment topping the list, we ask Dr. Nagawa to explain what could be behind this trend.

We also spoke to some of the patients who had come for eye medical attention at the facility and explained their plight as a challenging life ailment that has ripped them of living life like any other normal human being. These are however grateful to the facility for the free eye camp gesture.

Brenda Auma, one of the caretakers of a visually impaired patient who had just undergone eye surgery narrates the ordeal behind managing a patient with eye problems. Medics have a message for you and me on how best one can best look after their eyes.