7,000 Receive Eye Care in Keta, Ghana

Between August 1-20, 2008, Ghanaian ophthalmologist Dr. Thomas Baah, Ghanaian ophthalmic nurses and paramedics, and six Unite For Sight volunteers provided eye care to more than 7,000 patients in Keta, Ghana, including more than 700 sight-restoring cataract surgeries.

Keta, located in the Volta Region of Ghana, has no local ophthalmologist. Dr. Thomas Baah is an ophthalmologist at Our Lady of Grace Hospital in Asikuma Breman, Ghana, which is located approximately 3 hours from Keta. Seeing a need to take eye care directly to the patients, Dr. Baah coordinated and led the outreach program during August to provide eye care to a region that never had previous access.

Dr. Baah, along with his eye clinic's staff and Unite For Sight volunteers, provided screening outreach programs in remote rural villages. Patients received an examination, diagnosis, eyeglasses, medication, and treatment. Patients requiring ophthalmic care and surgery were treated by Dr. Baah. The Unite For Sight volunteers assisted the ophthalmic nurses in all aspects of the eye care programs. They took patient history, tested visual acuity, assisted the ophthalmic nurses with the examination, distributed eyeglasses and medication prescribed by the ophthalmic nurses, and helped with the coordination of patient surgeries. Volunteers also observed Dr. Baah's surgeries in the operating theater at the eye clinic.

About Unite For Sight

Unite For Sight® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that empowers communities worldwide to improve eye health and eliminate preventable blindness. Unite For Sight's unwavering commitment to creating a real, lasting impact involves three types of programs: chapters in North America, international eye care outreach programs, and an annual global health conference. Unite For Sight has trained more than 4,500 volunteers who work in their local communities and abroad to provide eye health programs for those without previous access and has provided eye care services to more than 600,000 people worldwide.

For further information: