A SIXTH charity trip to Africa for a local optician has helped to train staff at a new vision centre.
Richard Goring, a store director and dispensing optician at Specsavers Frome and Warminster, joined optometrist Charles Koudah, eye health lead at charity Vision Action, on a visit to Ghana earlier this year.
Richard’s trip was part of the charity’s project to expand essential eyecare services in the north of the country through training and equipping health centres and schools in communities who would otherwise have little or no access to these services. Ghana’s only other vision centre is located in the south which meant people either going without treatment or very long journey times.
Both Richard and Charles provided business management training to the team at the new vision centre at Bolgatanga Regional Hospital. Running the centre are 12 local team members who Richard was able to help equip with the essential kit and training required to provide valuable dispensing and glazing services.
Richard commented, “It was really rewarding to be involved in training the team, giving them the additional skills they needed to make eyecare accessible and affordable for the Ghanaian community.
“Vision Action has helped improve access to vital eyecare services in a number of African countries where untreated eye conditions and poor eyesight can have a huge impact on the lives of people in these communities. As a long-time supporter of the charity, I jumped at the opportunity to help the team at the new centre gain the skills and knowledge they need to meet the community’s eye care needs.”
Richard and Charles’ work has also enhanced Ghana’s school screening programme and the new facilities will change lives in the local area by helping people access eye tests and affordable eyecare solutions more easily.
Vision Action provides affordable eye care services to people in low and middle-income countries. The charity has been supporting governments in improving eye health services within the broader health and education systems for more than 30 years. Without affordable eyecare services, people living with conditions which result in poor eyesight often do not receive treatment which can worsen their eyesight and, in some cases, lead to permanent blindness. To find out more about Vision Action, visit: https://www.visionaction.org.uk/
For more information about Specsavers Frome visit their store at 19, Westway Centre, Frome, BA11 1BS; visit https://www. specsavers.co.uk/stores/frome or call 01373 610123.
