The optometry arm of C.H.E.C.K is saddled with the responsibility of providing basic eye care to host communities. This is achieved through the help of eye care professionals (optometrists), corp optometrists and optometry students.
Basic eye care comprises of every procedure undertaken to provide primary eye care in order to restore eye health. These include but not limited to visual acuity test, preliminary eye examination, refraction, ophthalmoscopy, eye pressure test (tonometry), prescription of lenses and drugs and ocular first aid.
With the consideration that a vast majority of outreach attendees are above the 40, eye care needs during medical outreaches are mostly senile cataract and presbyopia. These two eye conditions make up 65-70% of eye complaints and will require the dispensing of ocular aids in the form of reading glasses (N/B: Most cataract cases are matured and would require cataract surgery).
This department is therefore tasked with the responsibility of procuring these reading aids with consideration of age. The rest 30-35% of cases are distributed along the lines of trauma, refractive error, and different forms of conjunctivitis.
Also, worthy of note are degenerative eye conditions which are chronic in nature especially among the elderly, among which are glaucoma, age- related macular degeneration and retinopathies(as a result of ill-managed diabetes and hypertension). In these cases, the department is expected to make appropriate referrals for close monitoring and care.
Other services would include counseling and health education.