Approximately 1% of Uganda’s 30 million people are blind.
That’s according to Dr. Mwesigye, senior Opthalmologist at Mulago Hospital in Kampala. in a recent article in the Daily Monitor.

But 75% of those cases, he says are preventable.

The leading causes of blindness in Uganda are:

• cataracts
• trachoma (a bacterial disease carried by houseflies)
• river blindness (another disease carried by flies)
• Vitamin A deficiency
• measles

Immunizations, hygiene, supplements, and regular check-ups are all effective at preventing these complications. There are effective drugs which will fight both trachoma and river blindness, but these are expensive, and Uganda generally relies on donations to afford them.

The eye clinics in Kampala are always busy, and the 35 Opthalmologists in the country are stretched thin. There are currently campaigns under way to train paramedics in diagnosing and treating common eye problems, as well as communication campaigns geared toward educating people about proper eye treatment.