More than 200,000 people living in Ghana today are blind and more than 600,000 are visually impaired. It is estimated that 80% of the cases of blindness in Ghana are preventable or treatable. Cataract blindness alone affects more than 105,000 people in this region, with an estimated 21,000 new cases per year. Despite the fact that many of the conditions resulting in blindness are highly treatable, there are significant barriers to effective ophthalmological treatment in Ghana. Most prominent is the acute shortage of qualified trained ophthalmologists, with estimates as low as 50 in the entire country.
The HopeXchange Ophthalmology Department strives to reduce the rate of preventable blindness in Ghana by providing in its modern and highly equipped facility both clinical and surgical interventions. This is coupled with new opportunities for postgraduate education and training in ophthalmology for local doctors.