Eye Health Hero: Lion Dr. Teddy Kwaga

Lion Dr. Teddy Kwaga is one of the few female ophthalmologists in Uganda. Having completed her initial training as a medical doctor in 2015, Dr. Kwaga chose to follow her passion and specialize in ophthalmology and qualified as an ophthalmologist from Mbarara University of Science and Technology in 2020.

As a young ophthalmologist, Dr. Kwaga has already made a substantial impact in fighting blindness in Uganda, inspiring many young female doctors to join the “fight” against blindness. Right from her residency, Dr. Kwaga helped to coordinate a Lions Club International Foundation (LCIF) project that provided screening and treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR) in southwestern Uganda. In this project, Dr. Kwaga was responsible for organizing screening camps for diabetes and DR. With her help, this four-year project screened 26,000 people for diabetes and almost 10,000 people for DR. It is through this work that Dr. Kwaga was inducted as a member of the Lions Club of Mbarara.

Having completed this project successfully and having observed the dire need in Kigezi region, a remote and highly underserved part of Uganda, Dr. Kwaga worked with her mentor, Lion Dr. Simon Arunga – a 2019 IAPB Eye Health Hero – and the Lions Club of Mbarara to develop a comprehensive eye health project for Kigezi region. This project, also approved for funding by LCIF and the Latter-Day Saints Charities, will provide cataract treatment services at six secondary-level hospitals in Kigezi region as a way of increasing access to cataract surgery and other eye care services for people who previously needed to travel over 200km to see an ophthalmologist. Dr. Kwaga currently works as the coordinator of this project.

“Being an ophthalmologist has given me the opportunity to provide eye care for the elderly. Our senior citizens had a vision for the future generations. They played their part and sacrificed a lot in order to make it possible for the current generation to enjoy a better life than they did. I am privileged to give back by improving the vision of those among them whose sight has been compromised. It is a great motivation for me to be able to restore their sight and help them live out the evenings of their lives with more dignity and self-reliance. It is very fulfilling for me to watch them enjoy, better, the little pleasures of life such as looking into the eyes of their grandchildren, watching them play and being able to read a good book. All the little things that bring them comfort and renew their vigor for life.”

– Lion Dr. Teddy Kwaga