Free eye consultation for children at Magrabi Eye hospital, Yaounde on the occasion of commemoration of the International Day of the African Child.
Well trained Ophthalmologist at MICEI , at the service of children with eyes impairement.
By Ngalame Elias
On the occasion of the celebration of the International Day of the African Child June 16-27, 2025, the Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute organized free consultation and refraction campaign for children between 0-15 years at the hospital premises.
The eye health care accessibility initiative: to commemorate the International Day of the African child the authorities say is driven by the hospital’s mission to make eye care accessible to all.
The initiative allowed some 98 children to benefit from a free vision screening carried out by a team of passionate professionals.
According to Dr Afetane Evina Ted, Medical Director, Chief of the Paediatric Ophthalmology Department MECEI,the objectives of this campaign is to Identify visual disorders for children early for rapid treatment.
“It is also aimed at support parents with personal advice, offer appropriate solutions to improve the quality of children’s vision,” he said.
The initiative also helps to raise awareness on the importance of regular eye checkups, a step closer to preventing avoidable blindness.
By providing quality consultations, MICEI reaffirms its dedication to improving the well-being of African children and giving them a bright and clear future, Dr Evina explained.
Associations and Organizations working for the promotion of quality and accessible education for the blind and visually impaired children have been benefitting from the free consultation actions of MICIE.
On the occasion of the International Day of the African child, some 30 children from the Association “Marche En Avant” based in Soa on the outskirts of Yaoundé, which fights against the exclusion and stigmatization of the blind and visually impaired children had the opportunity to receive free consultation from MICEI.
“ It’s a wonderful gesture from MICEI to provide free consultation for some 30 blind children from our center. We are really grateful,” says Jiokeng Kana Roger, one of the staff of the Association who accompanied the children .
Dr Evina of MICEI says the Institute during this campaign wants to give the maximum opportunity for children to have ophthalmology consultation.
He pointed out the awareness campaign by MICEI is working out well because parents now bring their children for check-up even when there is no problem unlike before .
He pointed out that one of the factors that ensures a child’s overall development and quality of life is good eye health from an early age.
MICEI CEO, Dr Henry Nkumbe(left) talking to some visitors at the hospital.
Paediatric ophthalmology he explains focuses on identifying and treating vision issues specific to children, helping them enjoy clear vision and improved learning.
“Early intervention and care can prevent many long-term complications and support children in reaching their full potential,” Dr Evina said.
It should be recalled that over the past 06 years, the MICEI Hospital has been at the forefront , relentlessly fighting against avoidable blindness in the Central African sub-region, and more specifically in Cameroon, according to information from the institute.
Statistics from the Institute shows that over 330,778 consultations have been carried out at MICEI, 61,879 of them entirely free of charge thanks to the advanced strategies program for rural communities unable to travel to the metropolis and financially unable to afford eye care, and over 15,000 surgical operations have already been performed.
Meanwhile more than 250 eye care professionals from 17 African countries have received training at MICEI in sub-specializations ranging from ophthalmic specialist to ophthalmic device maintainer and community eye health worker.
Training courses available at Magrabi ICO Cameroon Eye Institute are : Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery,Fellowshio in Medical Retina, Fellowship in Pediatric Ophthalmology,Residency in Ophthalmology, Manual Small Incision Cataract Surgery (Mics), Ophthalmic Operating Room Nurse, Ophthalmic Equipment Maintenance, Optical Techniques, Refraction,Management of eye health infrastructures, Ocular Imaging Glaucoma Option, Ocular Imaging Retina Option,Pediatric Ophthalmic Anesthesia, Orthoptics, Low Vision,Glaucoma Observation, Medical Retina Observation, Lasik Observation.
« All of these is in line with its objective of contributing to the improvement of human resources through the training of all subspecialties in the ocular sector in Africa, » the release says.
Located in Oback in the outskirt of Yaounde, some 15 km from Nkolbisson, on the road to Okola, the eye care services hospital is of World class, compared only to similar institutions in Europe.
Many children with vision impairement and blindness benefitted from the free consultation campaign at MICEI