Eye Focus app launched to boost early detection of eye diseases
Accessplus Communications Limited has launched Eye Focus, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered mobile application designed to improve access to eye health screening and promote early detection of vision problems across the country.
The application enables users to carry out basic vision screening, access eye health education and seek timely professional care where abnormalities are detected.
Speaking at the launch in Accra on Thursday, the Chief Executive Officer of Accessplus Communications Limited, Mr Kelvin Boateng, said the application was developed to complement, and not replace, professional eye care services.
He explained that Eye Focus was aimed at encouraging Ghanaians to become more conscious of their eye health and seek medical attention before minor conditions developed into serious visual impairment.
“Prevention remains far better and far less costly than cure,” Mr Boateng stated, adding that the platform would help extend eye health services beyond hospitals and clinics to homes, schools and communities.
He said the company worked closely with clinicians, researchers and public health experts throughout the development of the application to ensure that it met sound clinical standards and promoted responsible innovation.
A representative of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Mr Nicholas Aboya, described the application as a timely innovation that aligned with the country’s preventive healthcare agenda and the growing use of digital technology to improve healthcare delivery.
He noted that good vision was essential for education, productivity and the overall well-being of individuals, yet many eye conditions remained undetected until they became severe.
Mr Aboya therefore encouraged the public, healthcare professionals and institutions to embrace the initiative, stressing that technology remained one of the most effective tools for strengthening healthcare systems and empowering people to take greater responsibility for their health.
A Professor at the Department of Clinical Optometry of the School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Cape Coast, Professor Samuel Bert Boadi-Kusi, said the application had undergone pilot evaluation by a team of clinicians and researchers and had demonstrated significant potential as a digital eye screening tool.
According to him, the platform could be particularly useful in areas where specialised eye care equipment was unavailable, especially in district hospitals and underserved communities.
Prof. Boadi-Kusi said Eye Focus would also strengthen public education on eye health and support healthcare professionals in making preliminary clinical assessments before referring patients for further examination. He stressed that responsible innovation required close collaboration between technology developers and healthcare professionals to ensure scientific credibility, clinical relevance and public confidence
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
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