The Department of Optometry and Visual Science was established in 1991 with six students who graduated with diplomas. It has gradually been transformed and now students, who are admitted to pursue the course, do graduate after six years with a degree.
This year about thirty- six doctors took the oath and were officially sworn in as doctors of optometry. In his welcome address the provost of the College of Science Prof Aboagye Menyeh said the Department has attracted many students but because they have not been able to expand their facilities most of them had to be dropped.
Prof. Menyeh continued by saying that lecturers of the Department were upgraded when consultations were done with the University of Benin. He said the Department is fully equipped for training and the level of training is of international standard. Also the GETFUND has sponsored the construction of a block for the Department into which students will be moving any time soon.
The Head of the Department for Optometry and Visual Science, Mrs. Angela Amedo was glad she was among the first diploma class and is witnessing the second batch of doctors being sworn in. She said a new department has been set up at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and had five inductees to be sworn in with their counterparts from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Mrs. Amedo noted that for Vision 2020 to be successful in Third World countries it depends on the provision of quality eye care doctors. She said that the inductees had gone through training from communities to hospitals and had faced the World Council of Opticians making them able to start their own eye clinics.
The Head of Department advised the inductees to learn more and to refer patients genuinely. She advised that money should not be their main aim, and that they should concentrate on what they have been trained to do.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof. K.K. Adarkwa disclosed that the Department had been selected by the World Health Organization (WHO) to man a project that is about to be commenced. They would provide eye care services to the University and its surrounding communities and conduct eye screening for all first year students as part of their clinicals. He thanked all who had supported the Department, parents and other stakeholders for their immense support to the department and their wards. The inductees were advised to be focused on their choice of work and let dignity be their watch word.
Also in attendance was the Minister of Health Dr Kumbour, who advised inductees to let the oath taken remain in their minds throughout their life and be ready to be posted, even to remote areas. The Minister promised his ministry’s support to the doctors and used the platform to announce that the Professions’ regulatory bill would soon be presented to parliament for approval.
The president of the Ghana Optometric Association, Gilbert Boakye Yiadom, advised the inductees to co-operate with their colleagues and wished them the best in their endeavours. He asked the Minister to do everything in his power to allow optometric students to be on the payroll of the government during their housemanship.
Present at the ceremony were the Akempemhene, Nana Adusei Poku, Provosts, Deans, Registrars, Parents and Guardians. The foundation head of the Department of Optometry and Visual Science, Prof Francis Boakye, was also in attendance
