MMUST Optometrists together with partners from VOSH Michigan and Rotary Club during the outreach in Nakuru County.
Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology’s (MMUST) Optometry Department in collaboration with VOSH Michigan and Rotary Club Utumishi is at the forefront of spearheading the sustainability of Vision Care to less fortunate communities in Kenya. The Optometrists undertook a four-day comprehensive community outreach in Nakuru County Bahati Constituency where they conducted a complete eye examination, and provided corrective lenses and sunglasses to applicable cases.
MMUST-VOSH Chapter is one of the most active. This granted our students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with a large pool of patients present during the community outreach. Day one and two of the community outreach were held at Bahati town at sub-county headquarters where they attended to over 1,400 patients. The patients who had cataracts were red-tagged and ready for surgical removal by Lion’s Hospital. Those who were prescribed medications and glasses were given. A total of 1,120 spectacles were dispensed to the patients.
One of the Optometry students screening a patient during the outreach.
Similarly, day three of the community outreach was held at Kabatini area where a total of 739 patients attended and a total of 343 spectacles were dispensed. The area was marked with a large number of patients with reduced vision. The number of patients referred for further examinations and surgical intervention increased from last year by 178 resulting in a total of 456 patients.
Dr. Nelson Edwards who heads the team from Michigan noted that the partnership with MMUST is certainly changing communities and is geared towards eliminating preventable blindness. Dr. Edwards handed over an assortment of equipment to the Department. These included a trial case with loose lenses, D-15 for color vision measure, Perkins Tonometer, Ipac Reicher pachymeter, two wall mount ophthalmoscope Volk superfied lens, Volk double aspheric 78 D, Gonion lens 3 mirrors 2 bio-indirect Ophthalmoscope, two pairs of Ophthalmoscope and Retinoscope.
MMUST Optometry student screening a patient.
This sophisticated equipment was received by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Planning Research and Innovation), Prof. Charles Mutai. He commended the partnership saying that the equipment will certainly enhance the learning of our students.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Planning Research and Innovation), Prof. Charles Mutai receiving the equipment from the Dean of the School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Technology- Dr. Evana Raballah.
They also handed over the fully repaired and functional Phoropter and in addition, they donated another one for the Department. The outreach coordinator, Mr. Andrew Wekesa pointed out that the pre-clinical training at the Department will now be effectively done courtesy of the donated equipment, adding that the availability of these sophisticated equipment will ease strain for the final years and postgraduate training.
Since the Department has attracted international students, especially at the postgraduate level, the partners vowed to continue supporting MMUST by shipping one Optical coherence tomography (OCT), Fundus camera, and assorted equipment before September. Members of the Optometry Department expressed delight in the partnership saying that they look forward to more engagement.
By Linet Owuor
