Lead image for Kenya's retinal care faces access and continuity gaps.
Kenya’s efforts to prevent avoidable vision loss are facing major challenges, with limited access to specialised retinal services, high treatment costs and patients struggling to maintain long-term care.
Dr Mahesh Chandargi, a neuro-ophthalmology consultant eye surgeon, said Kenya currently has about seven to eight centres where retinal diseases can be treated, with most of them located in Nairobi.
The country also has only about 10 to 11 specialists trained to manage these conditions.
This means patients from other parts of the country often have to travel long distances to access specialised care.
“Most of them travel to Nairobi for treatment,” Dr Chandargi said during a media engagement on transforming eye care in Kenya.
The journey can be costly for patients and their families, with transport, accommodation, time away from work and the need for someone to accompany the patient adding to the financial burden.
Access to a specialist is only one part of the challenge.