Peek and Cure Blindness Project partner to strengthen eye care in Ghana

Cure Blindness Project has launched a new programme in Ghana in partnership with Peek Vision, aimed at strengthening primary eye care services in the north of the country.  

In Ghana, 67% of people living with blindness are in areas with little or no access to eye care services. Over the next three years, the programme will use Peek’s innovative software and data insights to make eye care more accessible for communities, reducing the need for long and costly journeys that often prevent people from seeking treatment.

In the first phase, Ophthalmic Nurses from health facilities across five regions have been trained in primary eye care and equipped to use Peek’s clinically-validated mobile app. The app enables them to screen patients for vision problems and capture accurate referral data.

The next phase will extend training to primary health workers in health centres in rural communities, enabling them to use the Peek app to screen and refer patients who need further care, such as glasses or cataract surgery, to larger health facilities.

Prince Fianko, an Ophthalmic Nurse at Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in Ghana, demonstrates the Peek app to a patient during vision screening. Credit: Cure Blindness Project

The Peek platform automatically sends SMS reminders to patients about upcoming appointments, helping to boost attendance rates. Meanwhile, health service managers can access high-quality data on service uptake, enabling them to identify and address barriers to care more effectively.

Cure Blindness Project has been active in Ghana for more than a decade, with a strong track record of developing high-quality, cost-effective, sustainable eye care.

“Primary health workers are the backbone of community care,” says Shaifali Sharma, Director of Primary Care at Cure Blindness Project. “They are often the very first responders—identifying, diagnosing, and treating eye conditions at the grassroots level. Just as importantly, they ensure that patients with more complex needs are referred to specialized care, making sight-saving treatment accessible to those who need it most.”

Prince Fianko from Cape Coast Teaching Hospital is one of the Ophthalmic Nurses trained to use Peek. “The Peek training has been incredibly beneficial, especially in strengthening our ability to collect and manage patient data,” he says. “Accurate data is essential for informed decision-making in our daily work. With Peek, we can now efficiently trace patients to referral centers and follow up with those who may have been lost to care.”

“We’re excited to be working with Cure Blindness Project in Ghana to help increase access to eye care services,” says Farhana Rehman-Furs, Head of Global Partnerships at Peek Vision. “By combining our software with Cure Blindness Project’s extensive programme expertise, our collaboration will strengthen early detection and treatment pathways. Ultimately we aim to prevent avoidable vision loss and improve the quality of life for people across Ghana and beyond.”

Peek Vision has been working in Ghana since 2021, collaborating with partners such as Vision Action. The new partnership with Cure Blindness Project represents an important step forward in expanding Peek’s impact in underserved regions.

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