Turkana County Government and the Fred Hollows Foundation have completed a three-day primary eye care training aimed at improving access to basic eye services in Turkana South, East and West.
Healthcare workers trained as Trainers of Trainers will cascade skills in eye screening, diagnosis, management and referral to other health workers at Level II and III facilities.
The initiative seeks to address gaps in primary eye care and reduce avoidable blindness by bringing early detection, basic treatment and referral services closer to Turkana communities.
The County Government of Turkana, in partnership with the Fred Hollows Foundation, has concluded a three-day primary eye care training aimed at strengthening basic eye care services in communities across the county.
The training targeted healthcare workers from Turkana South, Turkana East and Turkana West sub-counties, equipping them with skills to screen, identify, diagnose and refer eye conditions for timely management.
The healthcare workers were trained as Trainers of Trainers (ToTs), with the expectation that they will cascade the skills to other general healthcare workers at Level II and III primary healthcare facilities.
Speaking during the training, County Deputy Eye Care Coordinator Veronica Etee said strengthening eye care at lower-level facilities was critical in addressing the burden of avoidable blindness in Turkana.
Etee cited findings from the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness, which recorded a 6.2 per cent prevalence of avoidable blindness in Turkana, compared with a national average of 3.5 per cent.
She said a recent survey on the county's eye care situation had also identified gaps in primary eye care, particularly limited capacity among healthcare workers at lower-level facilities.
“We want to strengthen and build the capacity of healthcare workers at these levels so they can screen, diagnose and manage eye conditions, while making referrals where necessary,” Etee said.
The training focused on common eye conditions, their prevention and treatment, with an emphasis on practical skills that can be applied by general healthcare practitioners in primary healthcare settings.
Participants took part in simulations, demonstrations and hands-on sessions covering visual acuity assessment, identification of eye conditions and prescription of reading glasses.
A key focus was presbyopia, an age-related difficulty in seeing objects up close. Healthcare workers were equipped with skills to identify and manage the condition and provide appropriate near-vision spectacles at primary healthcare facilities.
The county government said strengthening services at lower-level facilities is expected to improve access to basic eye care closer to communities while ensuring patients requiring specialized treatment are identified and referred through appropriate pathways.
The approach is also expected to help decongest county referral hospitals by enabling primary healthcare facilities to manage basic eye conditions and refer specialized cases when necessary.
According to the county, plans are underway to cascade the training to Community Health Promoters (CHPs). The move is expected to strengthen early identification of eye conditions at community level and improve referral of patients requiring further assessment and treatment.
The initiative seeks to address gaps in primary eye care by bringing essential screening, early detection and basic management services closer to communities across Turkana.