By Infora Media
Kampala. Thousands of people suffering from preventable eye conditions are expected to benefit from a free medical outreach scheduled to take place later this month at Bukedea Teaching Hospital.
The three-day RR Eye Camp, organised by the Ruparelia Foundation, will run from March 27 to March 29 and provide free eye screening, treatment, corrective glasses and cataract surgeries to residents from across eastern and northern Uganda.
Medical teams drawn from Mulago National Referral Hospital and private healthcare provider C-Care will lead the outreach, which aims to address the growing burden of untreated eye diseases in rural communities.
Organisers say the camp will screen more than 2,000 patients, provide hundreds of pairs of prescription and reading glasses, and perform cataract surgeries for patients diagnosed with severe vision impairment.
Health experts say preventable blindness remains a serious public health challenge in Uganda, particularly in rural areas where specialised eye care services are limited.
According to medical professionals, conditions such as cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors remain among the leading causes of vision loss in the country.
Many patients live with deteriorating eyesight for years because they cannot afford treatment or travel long distances to referral hospitals.
The Bukedea eye camp is therefore expected to ease the burden by bringing specialist services closer to communities that would otherwise struggle to access them.
“We want to ensure that people who cannot easily reach major hospitals are given an opportunity to receive proper eye care,” organisers said during a press briefing in Kampala.
Residents from several districts in the Teso sub-region and neighbouring areas, including Soroti, Kumi, Katakwi, Mbale and Kapchorwa, have been encouraged to attend the camp.
Local authorities say the initiative will significantly reduce the cost burden faced by patients who often have to travel to Kampala or other urban centres to access specialised eye treatment.
Health officials also hope the outreach will help raise awareness about the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of eye conditions.
The initiative is being organised in honour of Rajiv Ruparelia, the late managing director of the Ruparelia Group, whose philanthropic work focused on community development and access to essential services.
Through the Ruparelia Foundation, the Ruparelia family has supported several social initiatives in healthcare, education and humanitarian assistance across Uganda.
Foundation officials say the Bukedea outreach is part of continuing Rajiv Ruparelia’s vision of improving the wellbeing of vulnerable communities.
“Restoring someone’s sight changes not just an individual’s life but also the wellbeing of their family and community,” foundation representatives said.
Organisers have urged community leaders, health workers and local authorities to mobilise residents with vision problems to attend the free medical camp.
Patients experiencing blurred vision, eye pain or other eye-related complications have been encouraged to seek screening during the three-day programme.Medical teams say early diagnosis remains critical in preventing avoidable blindness.