Eye-care should be regulated in Kenya

Just like the other departments in healthcare, the eye-care department in Kenya is has been heavily infested with quacks.

Quacks are strategically located in every urban setting, claiming to be offering eye-care services without the required knowledge in ophthalmology or optometry. Their services range from illegal glass prescriptions to illegal cataract services, rendering many unsuspecting citizens blind or visually impaired.

Despite the prominence of the dangerous vice, the division of ophthalmic services department in the Ministry of Health has shown laxity in regulating the eye-care personnel - optometrists and ophthalmologists.

It is unfortunate the vice is hugely facilitated by players in the health industry, mainly insurance providers who promote them with enormous tenders, neglecting qualified practitioners. If we are to achieve Vision 2030 goal of wiping out avoidable blindness in the country, the Government has to step forward and save the public from this vice.

We should follow in the footsteps of Malawi and Mozambique where the industry is composed of highly qualified optometrists and ophthalmologists who are regulated for the betterment of the public. Eye units in public hospitals should be equipped with proper and affordable optical services to save the public from exploitation by quacks. Patients have a right to know the qualifications of the optometrists or ophthalmologists serving them to avoid being part of the statistics of those served by quacks.