In the heart of Kampala, Uganda, a determined force in pediatric ophthalmology is quietly making waves. Dr. Rebecca Claire Lusobya, a young mother of four daughters under nine, juggles her roles as a mother, surgeon, and advocate with remarkable grace and determination. Her story is of relentless passion, unyielding dedication, and the desire to elevate eye care standards in her country. Megan Webber, Co-Founder of KnowTheGlow, was introduced to Dr. Lusobya by Dr. Andrew Blakie, a pediatric ophthalmologist in the UK and co-creator of the Arclight Scope. Megan, along with Helene Dameris, KTG Director of Global Outreach, could barely keep up with the enormous impact Dr. Lusobya is making in Uganda.
Dr. Lusobya’s journey began with a painful lesson. As a young general practitioner in a remote Ugandan village, she encountered a one-year-old child whose eyes were severely protruding—a symptom of advanced retinoblastoma (RB), a rare childhood eye cancer. Lacking the knowledge and tools to diagnose the condition, she could only watch as the child succumbed to the disease within hours of being examined. That heartbreaking loss changed her forever. She vowed to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Dr. Lusobya questioned why the child had passed away, realizing she had no idea how to check the eyes, having only received two weeks of ophthalmology training in medical school. This moment catalyzed her decision to specialize in ophthalmology, where she knew she could truly make a difference in saving children’s sight—and their lives.
After completing her residency, Dr. Lusobya was one of just three graduating ophthalmologists that year in the entire country. The field was so underdeveloped in Uganda that pediatric cases often went untreated until it was too late. She quickly realized the overwhelming need for better eye care infrastructure in her new role. The lack of equipment, trained specialists, and awareness about childhood eye diseases created an immense backlog of untreated cases.
Her frustration mounted, but so did her determination. Driven by a desire to bring better care to Ugandan children, Dr. Lusobya was encouraged by her mentors, Dr. Geoffrey Wabulembo (through NGO Light for the World), Dr. Otiti Juliet (head of the ophthalmology department at Makerere University) and Dr. Ssali Grace (Paediatric ophthalmologist) to seek more training. A pivotal moment came when she earned a fellowship at the prestigious Aravind Eye Hospital in India, where she performed over 300 surgeries and was mentored by Dr. Sandra Ganesh, Dr Kalpana Narendren, and Dr. Parag Shah. This experience opened her eyes to what could be achieved with the proper tools and systems. In her experience in India, they were identifying cases so early that a child was refracted and given glasses—not as a privilege, but as a right.
However, returning to Uganda brought a stark contrast. The standards and equipment she had trained with in India were almost non-existent back home. Undeterred, Dr. Lusobya pressed forward, advocating for the same level of care she had seen abroad. Slowly but surely, she began to make progress. Her persistence in requesting equipment and training for her team has already improved the quality of care they can offer.
Despite these victories, the challenges remain immense. Pediatric eye care in Uganda still suffers from late-stage diagnoses and inadequate public awareness. There are still far too few ophthalmologists, much less pediatric ophthalmologists. Parents often turn exclusively initially to traditional eye medicine (TEM), leading to dangerously delayed treatments. Dr. Lusobya explains that traditional healers advocate more than doctors and that advocacy is everything—if someone knows about a problem, they can prevent it. The role that KTG could play in helping with awareness and advocacy has Dr. Lusobya excited about the future world of possibilities.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Lusobya is a dedicated advocate and researcher. She is working on projects like retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening, a condition that can cause blindness in premature infants. Uganda currently has no national ROP guidelines, unlike neighboring countries Kenya and South Africa. Her push for awareness and action on ROP has already had a ripple effect, with more residents joining the field of ophthalmology and assisting in screenings.
Dr. Lusobya knows that real change comes not only from treating patients but also from training the next generation of ophthalmologists and educating communities about the importance of early detection. Her work as a lecturer at Makerere University allows her to instill this passion in her students, nurturing a new wave of doctors committed to transforming pediatric eye care in Uganda.
She remains hopeful, knowing that change, though slow, is coming. Her advocacy efforts, alongside partnerships with organizations like Light for the World and Stop Infant Blindness Africa, continue to expand the reach of eye care services in Uganda.
For Dr. Lusobya, the path forward is clear, even if the road is long. She believes that while her country may not yet have what India has, she at least has a standard in mind for what to advocate for in Uganda. With her tenacity and vision, there’s little doubt that Dr. Lusobya will continue to effect change—one surgery, one patient, and one policy at a time.
As she balances her work with the joys and challenges of raising four young daughters, Dr. Lusobya is a testament to what is possible when passion meets purpose. Her story is one of hope, resilience, and the unwavering belief that every child deserves the gift of sight. KTG is beyond excited about the possibilities of working to help support and cheer on Dr. Lusobya and her team. Uganda has a tremendous asset in Dr. Lusobya and we at KTG look forward to finding more ways to help her dreams for Uganda’s children become a reality of early identified children seeing a clear and hopeful future.
