GHANA
Our Work in Ghana
Last updated June 2025
We started working in Ghana in 2006. To date, we have partnered with communities across 40 districts to implement projects focused on hospital strengthening, community eye health, integrated eye health and disease control. Our programs are designed to provide a full range of eye health care services, allowing us to address common eye conditions such as cataract and uncorrected refractive error, as well as more complex cases such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.
2024 Highlights
In 2024, we launched two new Hospital-Based Community Eye Health Projects in partnership with Winneba Municipal Health Directorate and Winneba Municipal Hospital, and with Ajumako Enyan Essiam District Health Directorate and Ajumako District Hospital. We trained the hospitals’ ophthalmic personnel, physician assistants, midwives and community health nurses in primary eye care, as part of our work to integrate eye care into primary health care.
Our disease control programs saw us disperse 3,081 pairs of eyeglasses, including 1,244 pairs for students. After a shipment delay in 2023, we worked tirelessly to address the backlog while also fulfilling 2024 orders. This attributed to a 17 per cent increase in dispensed eyeglasses compared to 2023.
Meanwhile, we conducted a research study on refractive errors in students using data from our school eye heath program, supported by Latter-day Saint Charities and implemented in partnership with Ghana Education Service... Read more in our 2024 Annual Report
Watborg Eye Services
We established Watborg Eye Services in 2006 and the facility is operated by Dr. Boateng Wiafe, our technical advisor. Dr. Bo has completed thousands of cataract surgeries and provided training for hundreds of eye health care personnel in Africa.
Dr. Bo also served as principal investigator and lead researcher for the first ever Blindness and Vision Impairment study in Ghana, commissioned by Operation Eyesight. We developed a methodology and approach that is reliable and cost-effective, working with Ghana Health Service and other partners. The findings of this study helped us to determine the prevalence of blindness and vision impairment in Ghana, and plan and advocate for eye health in the country.
2023 Impact
2,643
Pairs of eyeglasses dispensed
2,153
Sight-saving surgeries
15,620
people screened through hospitals, vision centres and outreach camps
14,821
People screened through door-to-door surveys
114,360
Students and school staff screened through eye health programs
Learn more about our work in Ghana in 2023.
2022 Impact
2,213
Pairs of eyeglasses dispensed
1,935
Sight-saving surgeries
13,711
Eye exams
22,424
People screened through door-to-door surveys
64,691
Students and school staff screened through eye health programs
Learn more about our work in Ghana in 2022. Read about the country’s first avoidable blindness-free community.
Success stories from Ghana
Our current priorities in Ghana
We continue to work with government and hospital partners to integrate eye health care into Ghana’s primary health care system.
By training healthcare staff and upgrading or establishing facilities, we are helping ensure the delivery of quality and sustainable eye health services.
We continue to build our school eye health screening programs to ensure that children and their families have access to the eye health care they need.
We are exploring new partnerships that will enable us to bring eye health care services to more regions.
How can you help
Contact us today to learn more about philanthropy opportunities in Ghana.
