Eyecare Resources Center — The Gambia.
A plain-language public guide to eye care in The Gambia: where to get care, how the referral pathway works, what it costs, which programs are active, the common conditions, and what to do when symptoms can't wait. Every claim traces to a dated research brief of 48 sources.
Last verified 2026-10-21 Facilities, programs, and figures change — each entry carries a verified or last-documented date, and facility operating status should be confirmed locally before relying on it.
This page is general health information — not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for an eye examination. If you are worried about your eyes, see a qualified eye-care provider. The symptom guidance below is standard eye-health information, not Gambia-specific clinical advice.
Start where you are — the system is tiered.
The Gambia's national eye-care programme runs in tiers: community-level primary eye care, vision centres for refraction and glasses, eight secondary eye units across the seven health regions (each led by a senior ophthalmic medical assistant trained in cataract surgery), and the Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre as the tertiary referral hospital.
Source: Hydara et al., BJO 2023 — describes the three-tier National Eye Health Programme, eight secondary units across seven regions, vision centres in each region 2013–2019, SZRECC opened 2007 · verified 2026-10-21.
Tertiary referral — the national eye hospital
Sheikh Zayed Regional Eye Care Centre (SZRECC)
TertiaryA centre of excellence and training for eye care in the West African sub-region. A patient can get: cataract surgery (high-volume manual small-incision technique, standard since 2015), paediatric ophthalmology, glaucoma care, medical retina, optometry and refraction, orthoptics, screening and follow-up. It operates at a 6/18 surgical threshold versus 6/60 at most other facilities — meaning it will operate at better vision levels than elsewhere. It is the referral point for complex cases from the secondary units, serves patients from all of The Gambia and the sub-region, and trains ophthalmic personnel.
Sources: SZRECC programme site · BJO 2023 · verified 2026-10-21.
Notes: the country's ophthalmologists are concentrated at SZRECC (5 full-time as of ~2021; a Dec 2022 Ministry of Health staffing table shows some posts unfilled — exact current staffing is flagged as unconfirmed). In September 2021 the centre temporarily suspended elective surgery over a consumables shortage — a documented historical event, not a current one. Publicly listed contact details date from ~2009 — verify by phone before relying on them.
Sources for notes: BJO 2023 · MoH staffing report, Dec 2022 · The Voice, 28 Sep 2021 · directory listing (~2009) · verified 2026-10-21.
Regional secondary eye units — documented active 2025–26
The national design is eight secondary eye units, one cluster in each health region, each led by a senior ophthalmic medical assistant (SOMA) trained in cataract surgery. The full official list of all eight is not published online (flagged unconfirmed in our research) — but the units below are individually documented in 2025–26 reports, alongside Kaur Health Centre (hosted cataract operations, Camp 45) and Dankunku Health Centre (screening venue for the Niaminas, Dec 2025).
Sources: BJO 2023 (system design) · Cataracts Are Curable formal reports, 2025–26 (individual unit activity) · verified 2026-10-21.
Farafenni General Hospital eye unit
North Bank RegionCommunity screening campaigns (Aug 2026: five villages, North Bank East; Nov–Dec 2025: 1,210 people screened in four villages) and cataract camps — Camp 45 operated at Farafenni General Hospital and Kaur Health Centre (85 patients).
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Brikama District Hospital eye unit
West Coast RegionEye-unit-led screening of ten West Coast villages (Apr–May 2026) and a free cataract camp (Camp 48, 60 patients operated). The charity partner reports relocating part of its programme from SZRECC to Brikama.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Bundung Maternal & Child Hospital — secondary eye unit
Kanifing MunicipalitySecondary eye unit for the urban Kanifing area; World Sight Day screening plus a cataract camp (2025); partner in free-treatment schemes for patients who cannot pay.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Essau District Hospital eye team
North Bank WestThe eye team examined 344 people across Lower and Upper Niumi and Jokadou (Nov 2025); cataract camp (Camp 44), with the surgeon also performing other needed procedures at their discretion.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Basse area hospital
Upper River RegionCataract patients are listed for operations at the local hospital after community screening; more difficult cases are referred to SZRECC. A 2025 referral pilot with funded transport and fees brought 4 of 5 referred Basse-area patients to SZRECC.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH)
BanjulOne of the first ten NHIS-contracted facilities. An eye clinic there is referenced in a 2007 study; the current scope of its eye services is flagged unconfirmed — ask at the hospital.
Sources: GAMNA (NHIS facilities) · Port Harcourt Medical Journal 2007 (historical eye clinic) · verified 2026-10-21.
Vision centres — refraction and glasses
Seven vision centres were built by the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation between 2013 and 2016 and handed to the government under a June 2019 Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health. Glasses are made affordable by an in-country optical manufacturing lab, priced at what the sources describe as "an affordable price determined by the local market"; centre staff are government-paid. Each centre offers eye examination and refraction with prescription glasses fitted. Current (2026) operating hours and service status of each centre are not documented in our sources — flagged unconfirmed; call ahead or ask at the nearest health facility.
Sources: Bowser et al., Rural & Remote Health 2021 (timeline and financing model) · IAPB, 17 Sep 2019 (June 2019 MoU handover) · PRNewswire, 8 Jul 2021 (lab) · verified 2026-10-21.
Farafenni Vision Centre
2013 · FirstOneSight's first Gambia vision centre (2013) — eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Bansang Vision Centre
2014Eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Kanifing Vision Centre
2014Eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Brikama Vision Centre
2014Eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Basse Vision Centre
2015Eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Bwiam Vision Centre
2015Eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Jarra Soma Vision Centre
2016 · Last openedThe last of the seven (2016). Eye exam, refraction, prescription glasses.
Source: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Private options — Greater Banjul & the Kombos
Private optical and ophthalmic businesses operate mainly in the Greater Banjul area and the Kombos. These entries come from business directories and company websites — listings change, and no official registry was checked in our research, so verify current services before relying on them.
Apex Optics
Est. 1985Eye exams and glasses; describes itself as part of a West Africa eye-care network.
Sources: directory listing · company site · verified 2026-10-21.
I-Care Optics Ltd
KololiComprehensive eye exams (auto-refraction, non-contact tonometry for eye pressure, refraction for glasses and contact lenses, colour-vision testing) and dispensing opticians; describes itself as a chain across The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Ghana.
Sources: company site · directory listing · verified 2026-10-21.
Opticalia
Multiple branchesOptics and optometry, eyewear, contact lenses.
Source: company site (branch locations via directory listings) · verified 2026-10-21.
Eye Tech Optics Gambia Co. Ltd
SerrekundaSpectacles for adults and children, eye tests, disease diagnosis.
Source: directory listing · verified 2026-10-21.
Step by step, the documented pathway.
This is the route through the Gambian system as the sources document it. Fees are quoted exactly as reported, because no official public fee schedule was found (flagged unconfirmed).
Start at the community level
Begin at your nearest community health nurse or health centre. Primary eye care is trained into community health nurses, village health workers, traditional birth attendants, and primary school teachers — and community volunteers ("Nyateros", meaning "friends of the eye", and OneSight-trained "optical leads") identify basic eye problems and refer people onward.
Get referred to a regional eye unit — or to SZRECC
Patients who can be treated locally are treated at the regional secondary eye unit, and cataract patients are listed for local operations. More difficult cases are referred to the main eye hospital, SZRECC, in Kanifing. Ask for a written referral.
Sources: BJO 2023 · Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Get your eyes measured (refraction)
Refraction — the test that finds your glasses prescription — is available at the vision centres (Farafenni, Bansang, Kanifing, Brikama, Basse, Bwiam, Jarra Soma) and at SZRECC. A 2017 household survey found about 1 in 3 Gambians needed refractive correction and only about half were aware of the problem.
Sources: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Get your glasses
Glasses are dispensed at the vision centres and SZRECC, priced at "an affordable price determined by the local market" in the sustainable model, and made affordable by an in-country optical manufacturing lab. The same 2017 survey found cost prohibitive for many — ask about fee help (see Costs and coverage).
Sources: RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Cataract assessment and surgery
Cataract surgery is generally offered when vision falls below the surgical threshold — 6/60 at most facilities and 6/18 at SZRECC, meaning SZRECC operates earlier. High-volume manual small-incision surgery has been the standard technique since 2015. If you are told "not bad enough yet", keep your follow-up appointments.
Source: BJO 2023 · verified 2026-10-21.
Don't let transport stop a referral
In 2025, several patients with serious eye problems refused referral to Kanifing — the major reason was the cost of transport, accommodation, and hospital fees. In some programs, charity funds exist for exactly this: ask the referring unit whether transport support is available.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports, 2025 · verified 2026-10-21.
What to bring to a visit
Money for fees and transport (documented as the main barrier — a cataract operation was reported at around £30, or about £40 including travel and stay, in 2025 NGO reports); your NHIS card or electronic birth certificate if enrolled (required to access NHIS services); any glasses you already have; and a companion if your sight is poor.
Sources: Cataracts Are Curable reports · The Point, 4 Mar 2025 (NHIS card) · verified 2026-10-21.
What to expect at a first visit
General clinical practice, labeled as general (Gambia-specific patient leaflets were not found — flagged unconfirmed): your vision is measured on an eye chart (often the "tumbling E"), eye pressure is checked, and the lens and retina are examined — sometimes with pupil-dilating drops that blur near vision for a few hours — plus refraction with trial lenses if glasses are possible. Bring sunglasses, and do not drive yourself if dilation is likely.
What care costs — and what covers it.
No official public fee schedule for eye services was found in our research (flagged unconfirmed) — so everything below is quoted as reported by the cited sources, and costs should be confirmed locally.
Reported cataract costs
Reported estimateA charity paying fees for poor patients reported £30.00 for the operation (Farafenni camp, 2025) and about £40.00 total including transport and stay (Dankunku case, 2025). Treat as a reported estimate, not a fixed price — there is no official fee schedule to quote (flagged unconfirmed).
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports, 2025–26 · verified 2026-10-21.
Public system fees
Nominal fee"All Gambians pay a nominal fee for public health care," in a government-led but under-funded three-tier system (health spending around 3.2% of GDP). The public system lacks vital medicines, so many Gambians face additional costs. Glasses are priced at "an affordable price determined by the local market."
Sources: OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 · Sightsavers country page · RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
National Health Insurance (NHIS)
Expect out-of-pocketNHIS was established by the National Health Insurance Act 2021. The pilot began July 2023; by March 2025, 13 public facilities were contracted — and that March 2025 rollout explicitly covered facilities "except Sheikh Zayed Eye Care Center." In July 2025 the NHIA announced expansion from 13 to 69 facilities. Whether any eye services are included in the 19-intervention benefits package is not stated in any source found (flagged unconfirmed); as of November 2025 advocates were still recommending that basic eye care be included. Safe guidance: NHIS does not yet reliably cover eye care — expect to pay out of pocket, ask about exemptions, and confirm locally. Exempt categories (no contributions): children under five, pregnant women, mentally ill individuals, indigents, pensioners, and persons above 65. Members access services with an NHIS card or electronic birth certificate.
Sources: NHIA FAQs · The Point, 4 Mar 2025 · NHIA, 14 Jul 2025 · OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 · verified 2026-10-21.
Fee waivers and free surgery
Ask the eye unitCharity-funded free cataract schemes for patients unable to pay have run at SZRECC and, since 2025–26, at the Bundung and Brikama secondary eye units — including 400 urban-poor patients treated free at SZRECC under one scheme (in batches of 20) and 60 free operations at Brikama. Patients are selected on assessed poverty. Ask the eye unit or the screening team, and ask whether transport support is available for referrals.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Who is doing what — as of the verification date.
Programs start, end, and change scope. Every status below was verified 2026-10-21; re-check before relying on any of them. We name no program as current unless the record supports it.
WHO SPECS 2030
ActiveWHO's global initiative to expand refractive-error services (Services, Personnel, Education, Cost, Surveillance), with a goal of a 40-percentage-point increase in effective refractive-error coverage by 2030. The Gambia has been one of nine pioneer countries in the African Region since 2025, where it is associated with the vision-centre network and school-based programs.
Sources: WHO AFRO, 1 Oct 2026 · WHO SPECS 2030 · verified 2026-10-21.
OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation
Handover 2019Built the seven vision centres (2013–2016) and the in-country optical manufacturing lab; the June 2019 MoU transferred ongoing operations to the government. The foundation remains engaged as an advocacy and research partner — its November 2025 Gambia fact sheet recommends including basic eye care in NHIS — and collaborates on school screening.
Sources: IAPB, 17 Sep 2019 · OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 · verified 2026-10-21.
Catholic Relief Services + OneSight — EU "Disability Inclusive Pathways"
Active 2026School vision screening and free eyeglasses for children within an EU-funded inclusive-education project — over 1,000 pairs of glasses distributed to date; screening concluded in Region 3 (West Coast) in February–March 2026.
Sources: CRS, 3 Sep 2026 · EduTimes Africa, 2 Mar 2026 · verified 2026-10-21.
Cataracts Are Curable (The Gambian Project)
Active 2026Pays hospital fees for cataract operations for poor patients (around £30–£40 each), funds community screening across much of the country, covers transport and accommodation for referrals, and runs free-treatment schemes with the national programme at SZRECC, Bundung, and Brikama. 2025–26 camps documented at SZRECC, Brikama, Bundung, Essau, Farafenni, and Kaur; latest report August 2026.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable formal reports · verified 2026-10-21.
NEHP cataract outreach camps
Active 2025–26The national programme's pattern: community screening, local cataract camps at regional units, and referral of complex cases to SZRECC — run with charity partners. Documented active through 2025–26.
Source: Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
FAJR Global
MissionsUS 501(c)(3) based in Houston running volunteer ophthalmology missions to The Gambia, with a campaign page citing "$250 goes toward one patient's eye surgery." Campaign active as of September 2026 — mission details are the organization's own reporting.
Source: FAJR Global campaign page · verified 2026-10-21.
Sightsavers — historical, ended 2021. Sightsavers ran a decades-long eye-health partnership with The Gambia (beginning, by its own account, in 1986; other sources date the start differently — flagged). Its work in the country ended in 2021 when trachoma was eliminated. It contributed to the National Eye Care Programme's foundation, trachoma control, training, the Nyateros volunteers, and SZRECC's construction — but it is not a current Gambia eye-care provider, and we do not list it as one.
Sources: Sightsavers country page · NECP history · verified 2026-10-21.
Historical missions (documented, not current): a Rotary International eye camp at SZRECC (2017) and a Barraquer Foundation volunteer week at a Brikama hospital (2019).
Sources: Rotary News, 2017 · Barraquer Foundation, 2019 · verified 2026-10-21.
What Gambian eyes face — in plain language.
The conditions below drive most of the measured vision loss in The Gambia. The first two are the big, treatable ones. Why early care matters for every one of them: almost everything on this list is treatable or can be held still if caught early, and blinding if left.
Cataract
Clouding of the eye's natural lens; the leading cause of blindness in The Gambia. In the 2019 national survey cataract caused 71.0% of blindness, 67.2% of severe vision impairment, and 44.6% of all vision impairment in adults 35+. Surgery is quick and effective (the high-volume small-incision technique has been used since 2015). Early care matters because delay lets people fall to blindness levels before surgery — NGO reports document fully mature cataracts developing over years while patients cannot afford the operation.
Sources: BJO 2023, Table 4 · Cataracts Are Curable reports · verified 2026-10-21.
Uncorrected refractive error
Blurred vision at distance and/or near that glasses can fix. In 2019, refractive error caused 83.4% of mild vision impairment; 45.9% of adults 35+ needed near glasses, with 44.9% unmet need, and glasses coverage was under 4%. A 2017 household survey found about 1 in 3 Gambians needed correction and only about half were aware of the problem. Early care matters because it is the cheapest, fastest sight restoration there is: a pair of glasses.
Sources: BJO 2023, Table 4 · IJERPH 2021 · RRH 2021 · verified 2026-10-21.
Glaucoma
A disease that silently damages the optic nerve (often with raised eye pressure), causing permanent tunnel vision if untreated. No population-based estimate of glaucoma prevalence in The Gambia using modern diagnostic criteria has been published — flagged as a data gap. Services exist: SZRECC has glaucoma care led by a specialist (developed 2017), a trained glaucoma nurse, tonometry, and a visual-field machine. Early care matters because lost vision cannot be recovered — screening and treatment protect what remains.
Sources: Evidence brief, Aug 2026 · Eye News 2014 · verified 2026-10-21.
Corneal scarring
Scarring of the clear front window of the eye, from infections, injury, or past trachoma. It was a leading cause in the 1986 baseline (non-trachomatous corneal opacity: 20% of blindness) and remained 8.5% of blindness in 2019. Early treatment of eye infections and injuries — and referral — matter because corneal scarring often cannot be reversed locally.
Sources: BJO 2023, Table 4 (1986 baseline via Faal et al., BJO 1989) · verified 2026-10-21.
Trachoma — eliminated
Was a bacterial infection spread by flies and contact that repeatedly scarred eyelids until eyelashes turned inward. WHO validated The Gambia as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem on 20 April 2021 — the second country in WHO's African Region, after Ghana. The 2018–19 trichiasis survey found prevalence in people 15+ of 0%–0.02%, far below the 0.2% threshold; trachoma-caused blindness fell from 17% of blindness in 1986 to 1% (1 case) in 2019. We describe trachoma in the past tense, while noting that lid-surgery sequelae may still be seen in older people.
Sources: WHO, 20 Apr 2021 · WHO AFRO · BJO 2023 · verified 2026-10-21.
Childhood eye conditions
Congenital and childhood cataract, squint, and uncorrected vision problems that affect learning. The evidence is thinner than for adults: the 2019 survey covered adults 35+ only, and no reliable Gambia-specific data exist for childhood refractive error (flagged as a data gap). Paediatric cataract surgery is documented at SZRECC (94 paediatric cataract operations in November 2011), and school screening is being scaled and evaluated. Early care matters because a child's visual system develops in childhood — uncorrected problems can become permanent (amblyopia) and cost school years.
Sources: OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 · Eye News 2014 · CRS, Sep 2026 · verified 2026-10-21.
Diabetic eye disease
Diabetes can silently damage the retina (diabetic retinopathy). Diabetes prevalence among Gambian adults 35+ was 6.3% in the 2019 survey (7.0% of women, 5.6% of men), but no Gambia-specific diabetic-retinopathy prevalence has been published — flagged as a data gap. Early care matters because diabetes (and hypertension, at 47.0% prevalence) are common and rising: anyone with diabetes should have regular eye checks and get referred early.
Sources: ICEH, 13 Dec 2023 (Jobe et al., Lancet Global Health, Jan 2024) · Evidence brief, Aug 2026 · verified 2026-10-21.
Why early care matters
The pattern across every condition above: the treatment exists inside the country's own system — a lens removed, a pair of glasses fitted, pressure controlled, a referral made in time. What turns treatable conditions into blindness is delay: cost, distance, and low awareness, each documented in the sources. Go early, go to the nearest health centre, and ask to be referred.
Some things can't wait for outreach day.
If any of the following happens, seek care promptly at the nearest health facility or SZRECC — rather than waiting for a scheduled screening or outreach visit.
Seek care promptly if:
- Vision suddenly becomes blurry, or you notice a "curtain" or shadow across your sight
- An eye is injured, or something penetrates it
- An eye becomes painful and red, especially with light sensitivity
- A red eye comes with reduced vision
- Chemicals splash into an eye
- A child has a white pupil, a turned eye, or a drooping lid
- You notice new flashes or floaters
This symptom list is standard general eye-health information — not Gambia-specific clinical guidance, not a diagnosis. These situations need attention sooner than a routine visit.
The numbers, kept honest.
Surveyed figures are measured directly on a population sample. Modelled figures are statistical projections. The two are not interchangeable, so we never mix them in the same table — or the same sentence.
Surveyed — measured in population surveys
| Indicator | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blindness, adults 35+ (presenting <3/60, better eye) | 1.2% (95% CI 0.9–1.4) | 2019 (publ. 2023) | BJO 2023 |
| Moderate/severe vision impairment, adults 35+ | 8.9% (8.1–9.7) | 2019 (publ. 2023) | BJO 2023 |
| Mild VI / any distance VI (<6/12), adults 35+ | 3.3% / 13.4% (12.4–14.4) | 2019 (publ. 2023) | BJO 2023 |
| People 35+ blind / with any distance VI (extrapolated) | ~5,405 / ~60,360 | 2019 | BJO 2023 |
| Cataract as cause of vision loss | 71.0% of blindness; 67.2% of severe VI; 44.6% of any VI | 2019 (publ. 2023) | BJO 2023, Table 4 |
| Refractive error as cause | 83.4% of mild VI | 2019 (publ. 2023) | BJO 2023, Table 4 |
| Near-glasses need, adults 35+ / unmet need | 45.9% (44.2–47.5) / 44.9% | 2019 (publ. 2021) | IJERPH 2021 |
| Distance-glasses need / glasses coverage | 5.6% need; coverage <4% (near and distance) | 2019 survey (quoted 2025) | OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 |
| Trachoma share of blindness | 17% (1986) → 5% (1996) → 1% (2019, 1 case) | 1986–2019 | BJO 2023 |
| Trachoma status | Eliminated as a public health problem (validated 20 Apr 2021); trichiasis 0–0.02% (2018–19) | 2021 | WHO, 20 Apr 2021 |
| Hypertension / diabetes / obesity, adults 35+ | 47.0% / 6.3% / 12.0% | 2019 (publ. 2024) | Jobe et al., Lancet Global Health 2024 |
| Refractive-error correction need / awareness | ~1 in 3 need correction; only ~half aware | 2017 | RRH 2021 |
| All-age blindness prevalence | 0.7% (1986) → 0.4% (1996) | 1986 / 1996 | Faal et al., BJO 1989 & 2000, via BJO 2023 |
| Optometrists nationally | 1 (2013); 4 (2014, mostly urban) | 2013 / 2014 | IAPB 2019 · RRH 2021 |
| Ophthalmologists | 5 full-time, all at SZRECC (~2021) — a Dec 2022 MoH staffing table shows unfilled posts; discrepancy flagged | 2021 | BJO 2023 |
Modelled — statistical estimates, not survey measurements
| Indicator | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population needing vision correction | 42% (1.1M+) | 2022 (modelled) | OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 |
| Correction need unmet | ~88.1% (1M+) | 2022 (modelled) | OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 |
| Total vision impairment (all types, all ages) | 205,257 (+27.0% 2010–2020; +135.3% since 1990) | 2020 (modelled) | IAPB Vision Atlas figures via OneSight fact sheet |
| Effective refractive-error coverage, sub-Saharan Africa (regional, not Gambia-specific) | 6.7% | ~2023–25 (modelled) | OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 |
Explicitly flagged data gaps — no published figures exist for glaucoma or diabetic-retinopathy prevalence in The Gambia, childhood refractive error, or an official public fee schedule for eye services; the Gambia's own eREC figure was not retrievable from the IAPB Vision Atlas this session. Treat their absence as missing data, not as zero.
Source: "Eye Health in The Gambia: Evidence Brief," 13 Aug 2026 · OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 · IAPB Vision Atlas · verified 2026-10-21.
Where every claim comes from.
This page is built from a 48-source research brief verified on 2026-10-21. Every facility entry was checked against a source that date; operating status changes, so confirm locally — call ahead or ask at the nearest health facility — before relying on any single entry.
The 2019 national survey
Hydara et al., BJO 2023 — the Gambia National Eye Health Survey: prevalence, causes, and the full system description. Everything surveyed on this page starts here.
Near-vision need
Boggs et al., IJERPH 2021 — the 45.9% near-glasses need and 44.9% unmet need, from the same 2019 survey cohort.
Vision centres and the handover
Bowser et al., RRH 2021 and IAPB, Sep 2019 — the seven-centre timeline, financing model, and June 2019 MoU.
Trachoma elimination
WHO, 20 Apr 2021 — validation of elimination, with the AFRO trichiasis survey figures.
Costs, camps, and the pathway today
Cataracts Are Curable formal reports, 2025–26 — camp-by-camp activity, the £30–£40 reported costs, fee-waiver schemes, and referral-barrier cases.
Insurance and fees
The Point, 4 Mar 2025, NHIA, Jul 2025 — NHIS rollout, the SZRECC exclusion, exempt categories, and the card requirement.
Policy focus
WHO AFRO, 1 Oct 2026 — SPECS 2030 implemented in nine pioneer countries including The Gambia since 2025.
Modelled estimates
OneSight Gambia fact sheet, Nov 2025 — the 42% / 88.1% modelled 2022 figures, kept in their own table, never mixed with surveyed data.
The full 48-source table
Every source consulted in the research brief, with what it showed, all accessed 2026-10-21.
| # | Source | What it showed (accessed 2026-10-21) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BJO 2023 survey paper (full text) | 2019 Gambia National Eye Health Survey: prevalence (1.2% blindness, 8.9% MSVI, 13.4% any VI, adults 35+), system description (8 secondary units, SOMAs, vision centres 2013–2019, SZRECC 2007, 5 ophthalmologists), trachoma timeline, surgical thresholds |
| 2 | BJO 2023 (PDF) | Table 4 causes (cataract 71.0% of blindness; refractive error 83.4% of mild VI), 68.8% multi-cause, MSICS since 2015 |
| 3 | Wellcome Open Research 2021 | Survey protocol: 2013 census sampling frame, 9,188 examined, NEHP history |
| 4 | IJERPH 2021 | Near-glasses need 45.9%, unmet 44.9% |
| 5 | WHO, 20 Apr 2021 | Trachoma elimination validated; second country in the African Region |
| 6 | WHO AFRO | 2018–19 trichiasis prevalence 0%–0.02% (threshold <0.2%) |
| 7 | PLOS NTDs 2022 | Gambia's trachoma-elimination milestones |
| 8 | WHO AFRO, 1 Oct 2026 | SPECS 2030 in nine pioneer countries incl. The Gambia since 2025 |
| 9 | WHO SPECS 2030 | Initiative description and 2030 eREC target |
| 10 | The Voice, 28 Sep 2021 | SZRECC suspended elective surgery on consumable shortage; emergencies continued (2021 event) |
| 11 | NECP history | MoH–Sightsavers partnership from 1983, NECP est. 1986, 2008 evaluation (CSR >2,200/M) |
| 12 | SZRECC profile | Kanifing, launched Feb 2007, UAE Zayed Foundation + Sightsavers construction, ophthalmology diplomas, sub-regional training centre |
| 13 | Eye News, 1 Jun 2014 | Gambia–Swansea Link from 2008; paediatric clinic, 94 paediatric cataract ops (Nov 2011); glaucoma nurse; HFPI training-centre role |
| 14 | Rural & Remote Health 2021 | Vision-centre timeline 2013–2016, OneSight financing model, 4 optometrists 2014, 2017 household survey (1-in-3 need; half aware) |
| 15 | IAPB, 17 Sep 2019 | Single optometrist in 2013; June 2019 MoU transferring 7 vision centres to government |
| 16 | PRNewswire, 9 May 2014 | Planned 8 vision centres + in-country optical manufacturing lab |
| 17 | PRNewswire, 8 Jul 2021 | Seven OneSight vision centres + glasses manufacturing lab open |
| 18 | OneSight fact sheet, Nov 2025 | Modelled 2022 figures (42% need / 88.1% unmet), VI 205,257 (2020), NHIS commentary, nominal public fees, pediatric data gap |
| 19 | OneSight fact sheet landing | Same fact sheet, landing page |
| 20 | Sightsavers country page | Began 1986; Gambia work ended 2021 with trachoma elimination; healthcare-for-fee quote |
| 21 | Sightsavers evaluation, 2017 | Nyateros volunteers; external financing reliance; "supported eye health since 1956" |
| 22 | Cataracts Are Curable reports | Camps at SZRECC/Brikama/Bundung/Essau/Farafenni/Kaur; screening volumes; £30–£40 costs; free-treatment schemes; transport-barrier cases; named eye-unit leads; Aug 2026 screening |
| 23 | CRS, 3 Sep 2026 | EU Disability Inclusive Pathways project, school screening, 1,000+ glasses distributed |
| 24 | EduTimes Africa, 2 Mar 2026 | School screening + glasses distribution concluded in Region 3 |
| 25 | FAJR Global campaign page | Gambia ophthalmology missions; $250 toward one eye surgery; US 501(c)(3) |
| 26 | SEE International programs page | No Gambia listing found — basis for omitting SEE from this page |
| 27 | NHIA FAQs | NHIS established by the National Health Insurance Act 2021; purpose |
| 28 | NHIA, 14 Jul 2025 | NHIS expansion from 13 to 69 contracted facilities |
| 29 | The Point, 4 Mar 2025 | Pilot Jul 2023 Bundung MCH; 13 facilities; rollout "except Sheikh Zayed Eye Care Center"; 19-intervention package; exempt categories; NHIS card requirement |
| 30 | GAMNA | NHIS launch with 10 first facilities (EFSTH, Kanifing General, Bundung MCH, Brikama DH…) |
| 31 | ICEH, 13 Dec 2023 | Hypertension 47.0%, diabetes 6.3%, obesity 12.0% (adults 35+) |
| 32 | IOVS abstract, 2025 | Evaluation of a school-based pediatric vision screening program in The Gambia |
| 33 | IOVS 2024 (Bell et al.) | Associations of vision impairment (women higher; survey methods) |
| 34 | Evidence brief, 13 Aug 2026 | Identifies gaps: no modern population-based glaucoma estimate; no Gambia-specific diabetic-retinopathy data |
| 35 | MoH staffing report, Dec 2022 | SZRECC staffing norms vs on-post (optometrist 3/6, SOMA 5/6) |
| 36 | IAPB Vision Atlas — Gambia | Country page exists; figures render interactively and were not captured this session |
| 37 | AccessGambia | Directory (dated ~2009): SZRECC contact address/phones/email |
| 38 | AccessGambia | Apex Optics Banjul HQ (Independence Drive, opposite EFSTH) + Kololi branch |
| 39 | Apex Optics | Est. 1985, West Africa network claim |
| 40 | I-Care Optics | Exam services (tonometry, refraction, colour test) |
| 41 | My Gambia directory | I-Care Optics chain claim (Gambia/Sierra Leone/Ghana) |
| 42 | Opticalia Gambia | Opticians/optometry/contact lenses (branches incl. Banjul, Serrekunda, Brikama, Basse via listings) |
| 43 | AccessGambia | Eye Tech Optics, Kombo Sillah Drive, Serrekunda — spectacles, eye tests, disease diagnosis |
| 44 | Rotary News, 2017 | Eye camp at SZRECC (historical) |
| 45 | Barraquer Foundation, 2019 | Volunteer week at Brikama hospital (historical) |
| 46 | Port Harcourt Medical Journal 2007 | Children seen at the Royal Victoria Hospital eye clinic, The Gambia (historical EFSTH eye-clinic evidence) |
| 47 | WHO results report | Gambia validated 20 Apr 2021; historical trachoma context |
| 48 | RAAB Foundation country profile | Listed in OneSight fact sheet references; not fetched this session (flagged as a potential further resource) |
The research brief itself — with per-claim citations and the twelve explicitly flagged unconfirmed items — lives at research/gambia-eyecare.md in the site workspace. Facility operating status should be confirmed locally; entries were verified 2026-10-21.