Our Goal: The aim of this project is to support efforts to tackle avoidable blindness and visual impairment in both Ghana, by developing eye care services at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, and throughout West Africa, by providing surgical training for eye care personnel locally.

As a member of the UK arm of VISION 2020, Moorfields Eye Hospital has included among its fundraising priorities supporting this global joint initiative of the World Health Organisation and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to eliminate avoidable blindness.

Increasing the numbers of adequately trained eye-care personnel is integral to tackling this problem. Reflecting the teaching and training aspect of its mission statement, the hospital, in partnership with the Lions Clubs International, has established the Moorfields Lions Korle Bu Trust (Charity No. 1130230) with the aim of creating a purpose-built eye unit and training facility at Ghana’s largest teaching hospital and primary tertiary referral centre. When completed, the centre will provide a resource for the treatment of all eye disease, while enabling eye specialists from across West Africa to be trained in safe and high volume surgery to help eliminate cataract blindness and deliver sight saving treatments for glaucoma and trachoma, in addition to many other eye diseases. As such it provides the means to raise the standard of eye care significantly, while increasing the number of adults and children treated for eye disease. Offering training locally, also avoids the need for expensive travel, improving staff retention in the area.

Substantial progress has been made during the year with the construction of the new centre, which is to be known as the Lions International Eye Centre – Korle Bu. Work on the first floor slab and stairs started during September and we expect the building to be watertight by the end of December and completed during April next year.

Several surgical training courses have to date been successfully piloted using temporary facilities in Accra over the last eigteen months. In September, many of those at the forefront of eye care in West Africa attended a three day meeting at Moorfields with the aim of building a consensus on the future planning and implementation of sub-specialist training.

Over 90% of the £3m target has now been committed.  If you would like to support our efforts to help tackle avoidable blindness across West Africa, you can make a donation online at www.btplc.com/mydonate/ or by posting a cheque to Moorfields Charity Office, 162 City Road, London EC1V 2PD (cheques should be made to: Moorfields Lions Korle Bu Trust). For further information or a copy of the update newsletter, please call on 020 7566 2634.