A total of 240 persons have benefitted from free eye care services offered by a non-governmental organisation based in Akwa Ibom State.
The NGO, Ini Ememobong Foundation, in collaboration with one of its medical partners, DOT Glasses, offered the two-day free eye screening exercise in Use Ndon, Ibiono Ibom local government area.
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DOT Glasses, an international organisation based in the Czech Republic which specializes in giving free eye care solutions to persons, was led by its Director of Operations and Finance, Vaclav Tehle, and Country Director, Mmekidmfon Umanah.
The team attended to 240 patients drawn from 10 villages across the council.
Corrective glasses were given to 172 persons while those diagnosed with glaucoma and cataracts were referred for further eye checks in the hospital.
Speaking during the exercise, Chairman of the Foundation, Mr Ini Ememobong, said the organisation was moved by the growing cases of eye related problems facing humanity, especially in the post COVID-19 era.
Ememobong, who is also the Commissioner for Information and Strategy in the state, said the foundation had earlier sponsored a free medical outreach in Ukanafun Local Government Area.
He said, “The growing number of people with eye problems, which may grow into permanent blindness, is becoming alarming, and you know in this COVID-19 era, attention to malaria, HIV/AIDS and other illnesses has dwindled.
“The outreach in Ibiono is the first phase in our eye care programme, where we hope to test the sight of people, know whether they have eye problems, and what type of eye problems they have.
“We take it a step further by giving glasses and for those cases that are beyond us, we do referrals, that is phase one. Very soon we will kick-start phase two.
“The foundation’s fundamental principle, which is “the humanisation of politics”, is also another reason that inspired the free eye care treatment in the area.”
The beneficiaries of the programme thanked the foundation for the gesture.
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