16 Oct 2017

Dr Kgosiemang Seboko has encouraged people to do routine eye checks for early detection and correction.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry to commemorate World Sight Day recently, he said eye tests should be done once or twice a year and should be included in one’s routine medical checkups.

“There is no full medical exam without an eye test,” he said.

Dr Seboko said the sad thing with the eye was that most of its symptoms were not painful leading to one conducting tests when it’s already too late to do something.

He also said with routine eye tests one could get so much information about their entire body health, urging people to make eye tests part of their lifestyle.

He said common eye sight conditions in Botswana included cataract and glaucoma.

For his part, Botswana Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted (BABPS) programmes officer, Mr Tshepo Raditladi whose association supports, addresses and represents the needs and interests of the blind and partially blind said when someone loses their sight they automatically become vulnerable to a lot of things . He said they become vulnerable to accidents and poor assistance in offices, saying their level of sight does not allow them to do their daily duties.

He decried abuse by men towards blind women saying a blind person just like a normal sighted person had feelings, but that it had come to the attention of BABPS that many of them were sexually exploited and abused by men who come in the name of love and being in a relationship with them to later ditch them.

He said their association offered free counselling to members through its sexual and reproductive health rights education unit.

Mr Raditladi further said through their orientation and mobility unit they offered every blind person in Botswana a free mobility white cane, but called upon the government through the Ministry of Health to offer free white canes in hospitals as blindness was considered a health issue. Ends