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Helen Keller Worldwide Secures Free Reading Glasses for Ghanaian Women

The effects of poor vision are too often underestimated. More than 180 million people around the world currently suffer visual disability. Though conditions range from blurred vision to complete blindness, victims always require attention and modified behavior from those around them. When the person suffering from poor vision is a health worker, the effects are decidedly more pronounced. A significant risk is created for incorrect diagnoses and misread prescriptions if the problem goes unchecked. In the U.S., a doctor or a nurse unable to obtain needed reading glasses is unthinkable, yet in developing countries it is an unfortunate reality. Such is the case in Ghana where Helen Keller Worldwide (HKW) provided aid as a result of an invitation from Prime II, a USAID-funded initiative implemented by the Intrah program of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

PRIME II is dedicated to improving primary health care through direct interaction with providers. One aspect of the program in Ghana involved midwives receiving training in maternal child health. As the training progressed, the midwives were found to be suffering from blurred vision. They struggled to read labels on vials and requested training materials with large fonts. As many of the midwives are more than 40 years of age, Intrah staff realized the women were showing symptoms of a common age-related refractive error called presbyopia, which diminishes the ability to read objects near to the eye. The majority of people with presbyopia simply purchase reading glasses and continue on with their lives, but the midwives in Ghana required special assistance.

Aware that HKW was already working in Ghana, Intrah was hopeful that the ChildSight© division of the agency could provide the necessary reading glasses. The program provides free vision screening and eyeglasses to students living in urban and rural poverty in the United States and in four countries overseas. However, the program does not work in Ghana.

Nancy Nolan, PRIME II acting assistant project director for operations, was a USAID officer prior to joining the Intrah program and had, over the years, interacted with HKW vice president for ChildSight, Meredith Tilp. When the presbyopia was identified among the Ghanaian midwives, Nolan contacted Tilp who immediately began working to secure the appropriate reading glasses. "Midwives play such an integral role in West African culture, I felt obligated to assist in ensuring proper training by Intrah staff," Tilp said.

Senior inventory specialist Xiomara Castillo, who is currently studying to become an optician, personally assembled all 50 pairs of reading glasses needed by Prime II. According to Tilp, "Without Xiomara's help, this collaboration more than likely would not have come to fruition."

Once the reading glasses arrived in Ghana, they were given to midwives who could not afford to purchase their own lenses, as well as to those who owned glasses that were in disrepair. Following the donation, training progressed without further label reading difficulties, to the great satisfaction of the trainees. Lardi Moro, a nurse in northern Ghana, affirmed, "The spectacles have helped me in reading, and when I suture wounds or insert I.V.s."

Though ideally HKW would be able to frequently provide assistance such as was given to Prime II, HKW is not a foundation and therefore does not have discretionary funds.

For further information, contact arowe@hkworld.org

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