Breast milk is not meant for the eye

Mrs Ama Henrietta Serchie, an Ophthalmic Nurse at the Hohoe Municipal Hospital, has called on the public to desist from putting drops of breast milk on their eyes as a treatment when they have eye conditions.

“Breast milk is not meant for the eye. It is meant for babies and it can transfer infections from the mother to the one putting it on the eye. Anything can happen.”

Mrs Serchie in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) during a free eye screening and surgical operations organised by Lifetime Wells Vision in collaboration with Friends Eye Centre from Tamale and Kumasi, advised people experiencing itchy eyes to seek medical help and stop rubbing their eyes.

She said people must avoid using sea water and herbal medicines as a form of treatment for their eyes anytime they felt there was a problem.

The Ophthalmic Nurse noted that there were many diseases of the eye which included glaucoma, cataract, pterygium, ptosis, strabismus, phthisis bulbi, refractive errors and allergies.

She said trauma, ageing, diabetes, congenital, hereditary, harsh weather, smoke, dusty environment and the scorchy sun were some basic causes of these diseases.

Mrs Serchie said people must be careful how they handled sharp objects, avoiding hitting any part of the body including the eye, adding that the glaucoma was a blinding disease which showed no signs.

The Nurse noted that regular check-ups could help track glaucoma to enable the disease to be seen and managed since its effect was irreversible.

She urged the public to have their eyes checked every six months and visit health facilities that had eye clinics, while urging people not to wait till they went blind before seeking help.

The Nurse noted that it was important for people who brought eye conditions to health facilities or eye clinics to adhere to directives including dates given them for follow-ups.

Mrs Serchie also called on people to make eye clinics their first point of call when they experienced eye conditions.