Most road crashes caused by visual defects — Optometric Association

Most road crashes were caused by visual defects but were rather referred to as human errors hence drivers do not take a keen interest to ensure that their eyes were competent enough to be on the road, the Ghana Optometric Association (GOA) has revealed.

There must be deliberate efforts by drivers to check their eyes frequently to help reduce road carnages drastically. The prevention of avoidable visual impairment will only be achieved if effective, efficient, and comprehensive eye health services are integrated into the building blocks of the health system.

Dr. Alfred Gardemor, Public Relations Officer of the association this at the sixth Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Office and the Ghana Optometric Association fortnightly public sensitization initiative “GNA-GOA: My Eye! My Vision!

The GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision! The initiative is a collaborative public education advocacy campaign to promote the need for people to access eye care and also to draw attention to vision health.

The initiative also seeks to challenge the public and policymakers to focus on vision as a health issue, which forms a critical component of mankind’s wellbeing but is often neglected.

Dr Gardemor also a Senior Optometrist at the Nsawam Government Hospital said it is now mandatory for drivers to check their eyes before applying for a new driver’s license and renewal of one’s driver’s license would also start soon.

The Association has, therefore, called on the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, Public, and Commercial Drivers, Institutional Drivers to check their eyes sight as a bid to assuage road fatalities in the country.

Dr. Gardemor, said visual impairment although a sensitive issue always was relegated to the backbench and called on corporate bodies to insist that their drivers annually undertake the optical examination.

He said “problems of the eyes may take time for an individual to detect hence frequent checking was the best way,” he stated.

Speaking on the topic: “Visual acuity and visual fields” Dr. Gardemor said the Ghana Optometric Association is working together with the Driver Vehicle and License Authority (DVLA) toward full compliance with the law to ensure any person who seeks to acquire new or renew driver’s license go through mandatory eye test from a certified practitioner or clinic.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor GNA Tema Regional Manager called on the management of corporate bodies to ensure that staff undertakes regular “maintenance of the eye” which is a critical component of factors of labour but often ignored.

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“Visual impairment affects production as it has the potential to reduce staff input, a corporate driver with poor vision endangers the life of staff, we must make sure our drivers both commercial or private adhere to GOA/DVLA directive for an eye check,” Mr. Ameyibor noted.

He explained that as part of “GNA-GOA: My Eyes! My Vision! “We are combining the forces of our professional calling as Optometric Physicians and Communication Experts to reach out to the public with a well-coordinated message”.

Mr. Ameyibor said the collaboration would serve as a major platform to educate the public on vision health and also serves as a critical stage for the association to reach out to the world.