About 19,367 people in Vihiga have Visual impairment as per the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (RAAB) Survey in 2022.
The most prevalent form of visual impairment is moderate visual impairment (10%), followed by mild Visual impairment (7.3%), blindness (2.2%) and lastly, severe visual impairment (1.2%) Vihiga County celebrated the Vision Impact Project achievement and launch of County Eye Health Strategic Plan 2025-2030 The five-year' strategic plan aims at providing affordable, quality and sustainable eye health services in Vihiga County.
Speaking during the launch at Vihiga County Referral Hospital grounds, area Governor Wilber Ottichilo expressed gratitude to the support of Christian blind mission (CBM), peek Vision, Kenya Society for the Blind, German cooperation and other partners who are key drivers of the project stating that it's a dream that has been actualized. "Today we are witnessing the fruits of this project and the level of achievement is beyond expectations," he said.
One of the major challenges the county has faced is lack of proper eye health care system which has hindered residents from receiving treatment. "With this program we have created institutions and now we have built an eye unit with the latest equipment, we have built a strong capacity of staff to deal with the eye healthcare system, a system that will last for many years," the Governor explained. The Governor also called on residents to consider registering in the Social Health Authority, (SHA) noting that it has significantly improved healthcare funding in Vihiga "We have received positive feedback from the health care facilities around including Vihiga County Referral Hospital, who are now benefiting from SHA.
