Dr. Gladys Atto is a dedicated ophthalmologist and the first to be deployed to serve the entire Karamoja region in Uganda. As the Head of the Ophthalmology Department at Moroto Regional Referral Hospital, she oversees eye care across nine districts in the region. She has previously earned prestigious accolades including Uganda’s “Doctor of the Year Award” and the “Women in Medicine Award” from the Uganda Medical Association due to her tireless work.
Dr. Atto’s path to becoming an ophthalmologist was not straightforward. Initially, she intended to specialize in psychiatry, a field she enjoyed during medical school. However, her internship experience exposed a critical gap in eye care, particularly in Karamoja, which had no ophthalmologist at all. Determined to address this gap, she pursued a Masters in Ophthalmology.
During a recent discussion with Ruth Ngaruiya, Program Manager for Know the Glow in Africa, Dr. Atto shared her experiences working in Karamoja. She highlighted the urgent need for localized awareness efforts to combat the region’s high illiteracy rates and limited access to digital information. The conversation also explored potential collaborations to enhance early detection and treatment of eye diseases in underserved rural communities.
Karamoja is home to the Karamojong, an agro-pastoralist community resistant to modern civilization and with a low literacy rate. This cultural context poses significant challenges to raising awareness about eye health. Dr. Atto explained that posters and other written materials, even when translated into local dialects, are ineffective because many residents cannot read. Instead, she advocates for alternative methods, such as short, simple videos in local languages. These videos can be played on screens in hospital waiting areas, helping patients understand essential medical concepts while they wait.
Children with complex eye conditions are particularly vulnerable in the region. For specialized pediatric ophthalmology care, Dr. Atto often has to refer the patients to Mengo Hospital, located 430 kilometers away, or to Ruharo Hospital, 800 kilometers away. For many families, these distances impose insurmountable financial burdens, leading to delayed treatment or reliance on traditional medicine, which often worsens the condition.
Dr. Atto conducts adult outreach camps in partnership with Sightsavers, using village health teams to identify areas of need. These camps rely on local health workers to organize and deliver care. Dr. Atto emphasized the importance of partnering with other organizations to provide additional incentives, such as food distribution water etc, to encourage community participation.She noted that preventable eye diseases among children are prevalent in Karamoja and underscored the need for early detection to prevent parents from seeking care only when the condition has become severe. She sees a potential opportunity for Know the Glow to integrate its efforts into adult outreach programs, leveraging tools like the Arclight Ophthalmoscope for early detection in these underserved areas. Dr. Atto mentioned that she has used the Arclight Ophthalmoscope before and highlighted its suitability for the region. Being portable and capable of being charged via USB or solar power, the device is ideal for early detection by her team in the remote areas where she works.
Dr. Atto’s unwavering dedication to her patients is evident in her approach to care. She treats every patient as she would a family member or close friend, driven by a deep sense of empathy and responsibility. Her passion for eye health extends beyond clinical care to advocating for resource mobilization and community partnerships to address systemic challenges. Her story is a powerful reminder that small steps in awareness, collaboration, and care can lead to lasting change. As she continues her work in Karamoja, Dr. Atto exemplifies the transformative impact of passionate and committed healthcare professionals in underserved regions.
