For many of the parents who trooped to the Nadowli D/A Primary School where the exercise took place, saw the opportunity as one they could not afford to miss.

Some of the parents who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said they knew of their wards eye problems but could not take them to the eye clinic for treatment because of monetary challenges.

Mr Bernad Anguopelle, one of the parents said something fell into Juliana, his four-year-old daughter’s eye about five months ago and that all efforts by him to remove the particle proved futile.

He noted that the particle was forming in the eye posing a threat that could destroy his daughter’s eye, adding “I thank God that through this exercise, not only has the particle been removed but also free medicine have been given for her to continue to use until the eye completely healed and returned to normalcy”.

“My fears that my daughter’s eye could be destroyed has been allayed and I am so happy that she can now happily go to school”, he said and thanked Bliss Eye Care for the good work.

Madam Grace Angtiene, Mother of five-year-old Puoriyelle Angtiene said her child behaved like a complete blind person at night as he knocks things around and hoped that through the exercise her child’s problem would be solved to enable him also learn at night.

Madam Linda Batumato shared a similar story of her four-year-old child, Nelson. She said Nelson could not see well both day and night and hope to get a solution after going through the screening.

Dr Zakarea Alhassan Balure, an Optometrist and Manager of Bliss Eye Care said the free eye screening and treatment exercise was part of the implementation of the ‘Blissful Sight for Kids’ project being sponsored by Vision 2020 in Switzerland.

He said the project started in 2016 with the goal of covering school pupils across the entire Upper West Region, adding that a good eye sight contributed greatly to a child’s academic performance; a course Bliss Eye Care was committed to achieving through the ‘Blissful Sight for Kids’ project.

He said those who benefited from the exercise so far, had their eye problems completely solved while others had improved situations when given the free medications and spectacles among others.

Dr Balure disclosed that a total of 355 pupils benefited from the screening in the Nadowli District.

Mr Simon Peter, Regional Coordinator, School Health Education Programme (SHEP) said the project was impacting a lot as he had seen through his monitoring that most of the pupils who hitherto had visual challenges and had been taken care of have improved their performance tremendously at school.