Special Olympics: Eye opening opportunity

Special Olympics Uganda has offered free eye testing for more than 200 athletes in a bid to improve the health of athletes with intellectual disabilities.

The one-day camp hosted at Hill preparatory School Naguru was held in partnership with the Optometrists Association of Uganda, who were marking 10 years of existence.

Special Olympics offers a number of healthy initiatives to athletes including; physical exams, vision/eye health, audiology, dentistry, nutrition, emotional health, physical therapy and podiatry.

Called Opening Eyes, the activity provides vision screenings, refraction, and prescription eyewear, sunglasses and sports goggles to Special Olympics athletes, including prescription swim goggles when appropriate. Athletes who do not have a prescription receive sunglasses.

For many athletes, access to care, and the cost of corrective lenses are all barriers to seeing clearly and performing at their best.

In fact, a large percentage of Special Olympics athletes have unmet vision needs. Opening Eyes data revealed that 35% of athletes tested need prescription glasses and 15% have an eye disease. Many athletes have never even had an eye exam.

The program is completely operated by volunteers, led by Dr Simon Peter Muwanguzi, the chairman Optometrists Association of Uganda.

“Opening Eyes is about more than just providing eye exams and corrective eyewear for our athletes. We help them to see the future,” Muwanguzi said.

“This provides education to athletes, parents and coaches about the importance of regular eye care. Our goal is to increase knowledge of visual and eye health needs of persons with intellectual disabilities and make permanent changes in the attitudes of eye care professionals about the vision care needs of persons with intellectual disabilities,” he added.

Expanding horizons

Globally, the activity is delivered in partnership with Lions Clubs International enabling Opening Eyes to reach one of the world’s most underserved populations: those with intellectual disabilities.

Shamira Nakisige, an administrator at Special Olympics Uganda said during Friday’s free eye testing that this was a crucial activity for the communities they work with.

“This is an important collaboration for Special Olympics since it helps us identify issues with our athletes and make necessary recommendations. We have healthy initiatives for our athletes which helps them to reach their goals,” Nakisige said.

More than 200 people with intellectual disabilities received the free eye examination which conventionally costs about Shs350,000 with related services.

Teacher Florence Sanyu, a special needs coach at Hill Preparatory School Naguru and volunteer coach of Special Olympics Uganda, said this is helpful in meeting coaching goals.

“We’ve had prior experience with such services and you realise their performance in class also improves because they feel esteemed.

Nairobi Enterprises offered testing equipment used to test the athletes effectively.

“We can provide technological solutions that can make their work easier. One of the machines produces a report in about four minutes,” he said.