Eyes Wide Open: How One Woman's Cataract Surgery Changed Her Life and Community

BAH KOROKOU gets her eyes checked © Courtesy of KCCO

Eyes Wide Open: How One Woman's Cataract Surgery Changed Her Life and Community

The Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (KCCO) is on a mission to eliminate avoidable blindness in Africa.

Established in 2001 as part of a global campaign, this unique organization envisions a future where all Africans have access to high-quality, patient-centered eye care delivered by African professionals within well-functioning and sustainable eye health programs and systems.

KCCO combines clinical ophthalmology with public health principles to tackle the burden of visual impairment and enhance overall eye health in underserved populations, particularly in rural and low-income areas where they are needed most. Given that more women than men are needlessly blind in Africa, KCCO is actively working to close the gender gap in eye health.

As part of the upcoming celebration of World Sight Day on October 10th (#LoveYourEyes), an international day of awareness about eye health, KCCO would like to share the story of one cataract patient in Benin who now serves as an ambassador in her community to encourage people to seek eye care services.

Mrs. Bah Korokou Konkpan is from a small village in the Bourgou Department. In this region, the hospital St-Andre-deTindré is the only point of care for specialized ophthalmic services for a population of more than 1.2 million people. The hospital is being supported and mentored by KCCO to increase the volume and quality of services. Her village is 45 miles (nearly a 90-minute drive) from the hospital.

Mrs. Bah Korokou is 67 years old and a mother of six children. She supported her family as a cheese maker before she lost her sight. She now lives with her last-born child, who is 16 years old and still attending school.

Mrs. Bah Korokou lost her vision in both eyes four years ago, which left her grounded at home and unable to work and support her family. She did not know where she could meet an eye doctor, as she lives far from any hospital with specialized services. She was also not aware that her sight could be restored through surgery until her neighbor told her about an outreach camp that was organized in her village by the hospital St-André-de-Tindré.

After examination, she was found to have a bilateral cataract with no light perception. She was then transported to the hospital for surgery on August 7th, 2021, with all COVID-19 prevention measures in place, and operated on her left eye. The operation was successful, resulting in an excellent visual outcome. She had an operation on her right eye a month later.

She is very happy that she can see again and can move around her community. She returned to her cheesemaking business. She is now encouraging all other blind women in the village to come to the hospital for treatment.

KCCO is a leader in implementing comprehensive childhood blindness activities in Africa, with more information available at kcco.net. With support from various organizations, KCCO implements strategies to:

• Enhance the capacity of local hospitals to deliver high-quality eye care services by equipping them with essential ophthalmic equipment and consumables.

• Identify, refer and serve those who need eye care services, with a focus on gender equity.

• Provide transportation support to hospitals for surgery.

• Ensure quality counseling for patients and families.

• Build local capacity for change management and for evaluation and research activities for continuous quality improvement.

KCCO supports 17 eye care programs in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Additional funding would allow KCCO to reach more underserved areas to provide eye care services to those in need.

With transformative eye care from KCCO, everyone can see a brighter future.