Kenya hosts regional meeting on eye care access and vision health

Kenya is hosting more than 500 delegates from across Africa and other parts of the world for a major conference focused on tackling preventable blindness, expanding access to eye care services and exploring how technology can improve vision health outcomes.

The 2030 IN SIGHT LIVE KENYA Conference, taking place in Nairobi from June 4 to 6, brings together health experts, policymakers, development partners and industry players to discuss eye health, innovation and the growing role of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

The meeting is expected to serve as a key platform for sharing ideas, building partnerships and identifying practical solutions to improve eye care services across the region.

Ahead of the conference, Acting Head of the Eye Health Section at the Ministry of Health, Dr Monicah Bitok, said the gathering offers an important opportunity to advance efforts aimed at ensuring everyone has access to quality eye health services.

“Kenya has made important progress in reducing blindness, but preventable vision impairment remains a significant public health challenge. Conditions such as cataracts, refractive errors, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy continue to affect health, education, and economic productivity,” she highlighted.

According to the Ministry of Health, cataracts remain the leading cause of blindness in Kenya and account for nearly half of all cases recorded in the country. The ministry also estimates that about 9.6 million people live with refractive errors, while around 15,000 children suffer from preventable or treatable vision loss.

Discussions during the conference will cover workforce development, healthcare financing, service delivery and the use of digital technologies in eye care. Delegates are also expected to examine ways of dealing with the increasing burden of eye diseases linked to non-communicable illnesses.

Artificial intelligence, digital health solutions and tele-ophthalmology are among the key topics expected to dominate the conference. Organisers say such technologies can help improve diagnosis, increase access to specialist services and strengthen eye care systems, especially in areas with limited services.

The conference comes at a time when Kenya is expanding eye health programmes to meet rising demand. The Ministry of Health estimates that nearly 30 per cent of the population requires eye care services to prevent vision impairment or blindness.

Although the prevalence of blindness in Kenya has dropped from 0.7 per cent in 1990 to 0.37 per cent in 2023, health officials say more work is needed to ensure people across the country can access timely and affordable eye care services.

The gathering also supports Kenya’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage and is expected to strengthen Nairobi’s role as a regional centre for healthcare innovation, collaboration and policy discussions.

Organisers have described the event as one of the largest eye health conferences ever held in East Africa, underscoring Kenya’s growing influence in promoting sustainable and innovative healthcare solutions.

The conference further builds on recent efforts to improve vision care, including the rollout of the SPECS 2030 initiative launched by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization last year to expand effective vision and refractive error coverage across the country.