Ghana’s optometry community made a strong showing at Academy 2026, the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry, in Anaheim, California, on October 1–2, 2026, in both attendance and scientific output.
Fourth in the world for attendance
Ghana ranked fourth in attendee representation, based on registrations, among all countries at the meeting. For a country with a relatively young optometry profession, this is notable. It reflects a growing culture of research, continuing education, and international engagement among Ghanaian eye care professionals and students.
Four Ghanaians awarded the Ezell Fellowship
Four Ghanaians received the prestigious Ezell Fellowship this year:
- Samson Darrah, OD, FAAO
- Ariyel Kwaku Bonsu, OD
- Isaiah Osei Duah Junior, OD, MSC
- Victor Opoku-Yamoah, OD, PGDIP, MSC, MOPTOM
The fellowship is one of the meeting’s most competitive honors for early-career optometrists and students. Four recipients from Ghana in a single year is a mark of the talent coming through the country’s training programs.
Award-winning vision science
Bismark Owusu-Afriyie, OD, MS, MSc, FAAO, was awarded first place for the best student abstract by the Vision Science Special Interest Group (SIG) at Academy 2026. It builds on his second-place finish for the same award in 2025, which makes this a two-year run of recognition from the vision science community.
A packed scientific program
Ghanaians presented 27 papers and posters, with 23 individual presenters, some presenting more than one piece of work. The work spans glaucoma, retinal disease, cornea, contact lenses and myopia control, dry eye, and public eye health. Several studies draw on Ghanaian populations, including eye movement norms in schoolchildren, visual fields of healthy young adults, and awareness of presbyopia among basic school teachers in Oforikrom Municipality.
| Presenter | Format | Title |
| Ellen Antwi-Adjei, OD, MPH | Paper | Portable Perimetry in Practice: Comparative Diagnostic Accuracy for Telemedicine-Based Glaucoma Detection in Rural Federally Qualified Health Centers |
| Hagar Asantewaa Awuni, OD | Paper | Macrophage-Like Cells Decrease with Axial Elongation in Developing Infant Rhesus Monkey Eyes |
| Eldrick Adu Acquah, OD | Paper | The Retinal Circadian Rhythm is Disrupted in Retinitis Pigmentosa: Evidence from the P23H Rhodopsin Transgenic Zebrafish Model |
| Bright Asare-Bediako, OD | Paper | Differential Effects of VEGFR2-Y1212 and VEGFR2-Y1173 Phosphorylation on Developmental and Pathological Angiogenesis in the Retina |
| Gideon Owusu, OD, FAAO | Paper | Automatic recognition of presynaptic proteins via deep learning in the inner retina in a mouse model of ocular hypertension |
| Nana Aisha Adams, OD | Poster | Fluorocarbon-Modified Chitosan Enables Topical Decorin Delivery to Inhibit Corneal Neovascularization |
| Peter Nsiah, OD | Poster | Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha Agonist Fenofibrate Modulates Transforming Growth Factor-B Signaling in Corneal Fibrosis |
| Felix Awuriki, OD | Poster | Developmental Eye Movement Norms among Ghanaian Schoolchildren |
| Eugene Osae, OD, PhD | Poster | Vision Related Quality of Life With Contact Lenses: Global Evidence Synthesis Across Refractive and Specialty Inductions (2000-2025) |
| Eugene Osae, OD, PhD | Poster | Real-World Eye Care Professional Experience with a Novel Daily Disposable Toric Contact Lens: An In-Practice Assessment |
| Stephanie Adjei | Poster | Correlation of Anthropometric, Demographic and Lifestyle Factors with Dry Eye Disease |
| Emmanuel Obeng, OD | Poster | Normative Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Macular Thickness in Healthy African and African-Ancestry Adults |
| Mercy Berchie, OD | Poster | IOP Preferentially Mediates Visual Loss Through GCC in Ghanaian Glaucoma Structure-Function Relationships and Population-Specific Tipping Points |
| Emmanuel Tettey-Doku, OD | Poster | Visual Fields of Healthy Young Adults in Ghana |
| Greatness Akomea | Poster | Assessing the Role of Teleconsultation in Enhancing Glaucoma Management: A Patient-Centered Study in Ghana |
| Augustine Nti, OD, PhD | Poster | Three-Year Objective and Subjective Vision Outcomes with a Non-Coaxial Multi-zone Myopia Control Soft Contact Lens in Children |
| Gabriel Agbeshie, OD | Poster | Knowledge and Awareness of Presbyopia and Near Vision Correction Coverage Among Basic School Teachers in Oforikrom Municipality |
| Albert Kofi Dadzie, OD | Poster | Spectral Fusion for Retinal Detachment Segmentation |
| Presenter | Format | Title |
| Randolph Kwaw, OD | Paper | Temporal Fellow-Eye Inactivation with Tetrodotoxin Improves Amblyopic Eye Cortical Responsivity in Nonhuman Primates |
| Bismark Owusu-Afriyie, OD, MS, MSc, FAAO | Paper | Oral Glucose Tolerance Test is Associated with Retinal Function and Structure in Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes |
| Mohammed Abdul-Kabir, OD, PhD | Poster | Bilateral Ocular Chemical Injury Following Hair Cosmetic Exposure |
| Mohammed Abdul-Kabir, OD, PhD | Poster | Diagnosis and Management of Phacomorphic Glaucoma In a Ghanaian Patient |
| Kwaku Osei, OD, PhD | Poster | Patient-Reported Vision, Handling, and Comfort with a Senofilcon C Reusable Lens |
| Kwaku Osei, OD, PhD | Poster | Eyecare Professionals’ Fitting Experiences and Perceptions of a Novel Daily Disposable Multifocal Toric Contact Lens in Real-World Clinical Practice |
| Mercy Berchie, OD | Poster | Retinopathy as a Cardiovascular Risk Marker Before Diabetes: A Nationally Representative Mortality Analysis |
| Emmanuella Asabere, OD | Poster | The Impact of Tactile Stimulation on Visual Cognition: An Eye Tracking Study |
About the Ghana Optometric Association
The Ghana Optometric Association (GOA) is the professional body representing all optometrists in Ghana. The association is dedicated to advancing quality, accessible and professional eye care for all, and works to promote excellence in optometry, support its members, and protect the eye health of everyone in Ghana.
About the American Academy of Optometry
Academy 2026 Anaheim is the premier annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry (AAO), which took place from September 30 to October 3, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Known for its emphasis on vision science and clinical research, the meeting serves as a global gathering for practicing optometrists, educators, residents and industry leaders.
