Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wa East Constituency, has extolled Bliss Eye Care, a private eye clinic in Wa, for extending its free eye screening exercise to people in the area. He said access to eye care services in the Wa East District was a privilege and that the initiative by the clinic would enable the people to have regular eye checkups and access free care when a condition was detected. Dr Jasaw said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Funsi during a free eye screening exercise organised by Bliss Eye Care. The MP, who also had his eyes screened, observed that the intervention would help save the people from losing their sight through preventable conditions. Bliss Eye Care organised the exercise at Funsi as part of its Cooperate Social Responsibility (CSR) dubbed: 'Blissful Sight for Kids (BS4Ks).' The clinic has been organising free eye screening for people in the Upper West Region and beyond, with a special focus on children. Dr Jasaw said he had been collaborating with some organisations, including Bliss Eye Care, to organise free eye screening in the constituency since 2019 due to the importance of eye health. 'The eye is one of the most critical organs of the human body. Sometimes when you are not careful and conscious about regular checkups, when problems such as cataracts or glaucoma may develop, you may not know and before you say jack, you've lost your sight. I hope that this free screening will contribute to ensuring that the eyesight of the people in the district is enhanced,' he explained. A total of 263 people went through the screening with 45 of them having normal eyes, 165 having Pathological issues relating to medication, 36 having Refractive Errors relating to the need for eyeglasses and 17 having Cataracts and Glaucoma. All those who needed medications were offered and those who needed eyeglasses were also given for free, while those who needed further attention at a facility were referred. Dr Zakarea Al-Hassan Balure, the Ma nager of Bliss Eye Care, encouraged the people to take their eye care very seriously by going for regular checkups. He also encouraged them to take advantage of free eye screening exercises to have their eyes screened since access to eye care services could be difficult. 'Don't wait until you have an eye problem and when your vision is blurring before you come to check. Do it regularly,' he admonished. Miss Nuela Wiyaala, an Afro-Pop Singer from Funsi, who partnered with Bliss Eye Care to organise the screening, said the initiative was laudable since access to eye screening services was almost non-existent in the area, coupled with the cost of accessing those services when necessary. 'It's a very good cause and the human eye is very important. Without it, life can be a different thing altogether and very uncomfortable. 'Besides, in our part of Ghana, the smaller communities, hardly do we get these things done for us on a silver platter just like that, you must pay lots of money to even do a checkup let a lone if you have a problem with your eye and needs to do surgery. But anytime he comes he does it for free. So, it's a big opportunity and joy for us in the Sissala areas as lots of us might have problems but we might not even know,' she explained. Mr Charles Lunaga Salidong, a beneficiary of the screening at Funsi, thanked Bliss Eye Care for the intervention. Mr Salidong, a teacher, said he had difficulty reading and was given a reading aid after the screening at no cost. Source: Ghana News Agency