Most eye care services offered by quacks, says MoH

Most eye care services in Kenya are now offered by quacks, the Health ministry has said.

The quacks not only ‘prescribe’ reading glasses in the streets, but also see patients in clinics.

Wearing bad glasses can lead to problems such as headaches, blurry vision, nausea or vertigo (loss of balance) and squinting.

However, doctors say it can not cause loss of sight.

The Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority, which coordinates all health regulatory bodies, has now announced an inspection of all eye clinics and optical shops countrywide.

“Majority of these shops  and eye clinics are operated by persons who are not qualified posing great risk to the health of unsuspecting Kenyans whose vision has deteriorated or experienced total blindness,” said KHPOA boss Jackson Kioko.

He also banned the sale of reading glasses on the streets, which he said is common in Nairobi.

Dr Kioko also noted the mushrooming business promotion campaigns, often called eye camps.

He said any planners of eye camps must now seek approval from the KHPOA at least two weeks before their proposed date.

“The organisers shall also submit a list of certified/ licensed opticians, optometrist and ophthalmologist involved in the provision of eye care services during the period of each scheduled eye camp,” he said.

The National Eye Health Strategy Plan 2020 2025 says there is no accurate data on eye conditions in Kenya because the indicators of eye health are not coded.

This makes it difficult to enter them into the Kenya Health Information System.

“We need a national eye diseases/ conditions and systems survey to get a near accurate situation of the burden of eye diseases,” it says.

Currently, nearly all eye health professionals are either self-employed or jobless.

There are three main eye professionals in Kenya. They include ophthalmologists, who are doctors dealing with the eyes, the brain, and the areas around the eye.

The second are optometrists, who examine, diagnose and manage ocular diseases, injuries and disorders affecting the eye. They cannot conduct surgeries.

The commonest are opticians. They sell lenses, spectacles, and other optical instruments.

Opticians analyse and interpret prescriptions written by ophthalmologists or optometrists to determine which eyeglasses or contact lenses are best suited to the patient.

They do not require any professional education or legal licence to operate and may be just trained on the job.

Unlike optometrists and ophthalmologists, opticians should not conduct eye exams or treat patients.

The National Eye Health Strategy Plan says Kenya has only 216 ophthalmic clinical officers, 145 ophthalmologists, 400 optometry technologists, 25 low vision officers, 45 recognised opticians and only two equipment maintenance officers.

Since 2016, eye care medical professionals have been agitating for regulation saying they are being kicked out of practice by quacks who offer bargain prices.

On March 18, 2016, Dr Kioko wrote to the newly formed Optometry Association of Kenya promising the ministry was in the process of establishing a Kenya Council of Optometrists.

“This body will possibly be mandated to register and license  optometrists and optometry technologists,” he promised. The body was never formed.

Ophthalmologists are registered with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council.

-Edited by SKanyara