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Eye screening reveals ‘blind’ drivers

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The Zimbabwe Optometry Association (ZOA) has released startling statistics after conducting a free driver eye screening exercise in Harare recently.

The Zimbabwe Optometry Association (ZOA) has released startling statistics after conducting a free driver eye screening exercise in Harare recently.

BY BLESSED MHLANGA

eye-drops The exercise revealed that at least half of the screened drivers showed signs of visual impairments.

ZOA president, Richard Maveneka, while addressing a joint African Council of Optometry (ACO)and ZOA joint optometry conference last week, said they screened 200 drivers from major transport companies over a period of two days.

He said of the 100 with signs of visual impairment, nearly 30 had poor eyesight and should not have been driving without corrective measures.

“We noticed that some of the drivers should not have been driving at all without corrective aids. Poor sight will cause mainly human errors, while driving, especially head-on collisions, or pile-ups, as one might fail to see oncoming vehicles or correctly judge overtaking distance,” Maveneka said.

Chairperson of National Blindness Prevention Group and chief ophthalmologist in the Health ministry, Boniface Macheka said while government was worried about blind drivers on the road, ZOA needed to conduct further research and publish its findings.

“I am aware that apart from the poor road infrastructure, there are blind drivers out there and, as the Ministry of Health, we are worried. I, however, call upon ZOA to do further studies in this area and publish these in books of research so that you add to the body of knowledge and help influence legislative reforms,” he said.

The legislature has previously been lobbied to have drivers periodically go for eye screening tests in line with regional trends to ensure safety on the road.

Maveneka said vision was usually lost due to a number of reasons, which include ageing and diabetes and there was need for regular check-ups.

He said some people became blind and visted optometrists when it was too late.

“Some of the blindness in Africa can be preventable, but because eye care is expensive and it has not been prioritised by governments and left to the private sector, access has been limited. We, therefore, need to ensure that all efforts are made to have primary eye healthcare.”

The conference was held under the theme Harmonising Health Systems and Legislation in an Effort to Combat Preventable Blindness in Africa.