More than 300 patients have received specialised eye care after a five-day free medical camp at Lodwar County Referral Hospital (LCRH), as the County Government works to improve access to prevention and treatment and raise the county’s cataract surgical rate.

Services included eye examinations, diagnosis, treatment, cataract surgeries, corrective reading glasses and health education. An outreach package also reached remote areas of Kapua and Kolokol, where patients were assessed and referred for further care.

Ophthalmic Nurse Martha Asinyen Locham said more than 50 cataract surgeries were performed and about 30 pairs of reading glasses prescribed.

The camp mainly targeted elderly residents with cataracts, with an initial goal of 100 surgeries over the five days. Locham said community turnout was below expectations despite the services being free.

County Deputy Eye Coordinator Veronica Etee said the camp was part of ongoing efforts to raise the county’s cataract surgical rate, which remains below the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended threshold.

“Turkana’s cataract surgical rate stands at approximately 900, against the WHO recommendation of at least 2,000 annually. Cataract surgery is therefore one of the key areas we are prioritizing to improve access to specialised eye care,” she said.

The initiative was implemented by the County Government through LCRH, in partnership with Lighthouse People from Mombasa and Christian Success International from Meru.

Locham said medical supplies were adequate throughout the camp, and that patients who underwent surgery will return for review after two weeks to monitor recovery and address any complications.

She urged residents, particularly the elderly and those with declining vision, to seek medical attention early to prevent avoidable visual impairment and improve their quality of life.

One thing to check before filing: the source gives the Kolokol outreach location as “Kolokol”, which may be a typo for Kalokol, so confirm the spelling. I’ve also kept the 900 figure as stated, though you may want to confirm whether it is per million population.

By Peter Gitonga