If you consider why people in emerging and developing nations have to deal with inadequate eye care, you can't fail to notice one key factor: the lack of local specialists who can perform eye exams and vision tests. While one ophthalmologist or optometrist in Europe serves 6,000–9,000 patients, the ratio in a place like Uganda is 1:250,000. What does this mean? Many people have no hope of getting an eye exam. As a result, they often know little about visual correction and are skeptical about wearing glasses.
The opening of an Optical Center in Kyamulibwa, Uganda, is an EDA initiative that aims to help local people by partnering with eye care professionals (ECPs) and ZEISS. Eight locals have been trained in the profession since August 2019.
We caught up with ECP Marc Harder in a spacious building that houses an excellent workshop, where he has been teaching students for six months. “In the beginning a lot needed to be organized, like lens blanks and learning materials.”