Eye Care Must Go Beyond Blindness Prevention, Says Health Advocate

Dr. Kiema Ogunlana

By Prosper Okoye

Efforts to prevent vision loss must be matched by increased support for people already living with visual impairment, including improved access to healthcare, education, employment and other social opportunities, a Nigerian health advocate has said.

Dr. Kiema Ogunlana, Programme Director of Daisy Oak Foundation, made the call during a World Sight Day outreach in Ruga community along Airport Road, Abuja, where less privileged residents received free eye examinations and other healthcare services.

“While we are investing in preventing vision loss, there should also be investment in those who are already visually impaired to ensure that they are not denied access to health, employment and other social opportunities,” Ogunlana said.

She cited World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 2.2 billion people worldwide have near or distance vision impairment, noting that many cases could be prevented or addressed through appropriate interventions and access to eye-care services.

“We need to be conscious about our eye health. This is why this kind of intervention, especially in communities that are very hard to reach, is very important to us,” she said.

During the outreach, the foundation and its partner organisations provided free eye examinations, eyeglasses, eye-health education, general health education, deworming medication and other healthcare services.

Ogunlana said the intervention was designed to raise awareness about eye health and ensure that residents of underserved communities were not denied access to essential healthcare because of their geographical location or economic circumstances.

“We have ensured that they understand the importance of taking care of their health, especially their eyes, because behind those statistics are real people,” she said.

She noted that this year’s World Sight Day theme, “Every Story Counts,” highlights the experiences of people affected by vision problems and underscores the need to make eye-care services more accessible to all.

Okechukwu Chibueze, Programme Officer at Sam Empowerment Foundation (SEF), said the theme reflected the diverse backgrounds and experiences that shape people’s eye-health journeys.

“In line with the theme, ‘Every Story Counts’, we know that each person comes from a diverse background which defines their story and their sight history. Beyond this, we are here to unveil to them possibilities beyond what they see,” Chibueze said.

“There are two ways to see. One is mental and the second is visual,” he added.

Chibueze emphasised the importance of collaboration among organisations in extending healthcare interventions to underserved communities, noting that partnerships could help expand the reach and impact of such initiatives.

“We believe in partnership in line with SDG Goal 17, as combining each organisation’s strengths upholds humanity,” he said, referring to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 17, which promotes partnerships for achieving development objectives.

Also speaking, Dr. Njezi Chinedu, Chairman of the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, said the World Sight Day theme underscored the human consequences of vision impairment and the need to look beyond statistics when addressing eye-health challenges.

“In choosing the theme, we considered the statistics, knowing that behind the statistics are human beings,” Chinedu said.

He said an estimated 4.2 million Nigerians were at risk of blindness, warning that vision impairment could undermine people’s ability to work, attend school, earn a living and provide for their families.

“Behind this statistic is a father who, because of his visual impairment, cannot function at work and therefore cannot give his best. He is at risk of losing his job and putting his family on the poverty line,” Chinedu said.

He added that children whose vision problems prevented them from attending or participating effectively in school could face difficulties in developing their abilities and achieving their full potential.

“Behind the statistics of children who are out of school because they cannot see is a child who might never reach his potential because his vision is impaired,” he said.

Chinedu called on government agencies and non-governmental organisations to intensify efforts to provide affordable eye-care services, particularly in rural and underserved communities where access to healthcare remains limited.

“We are all calling on government and non-government organisations to take affordable eye care to places that are unreached,” he said.

He also urged Nigerians to seek treatment from qualified eye-care professionals rather than resort to unverified traditional remedies or substances that could worsen existing eye conditions.

“I advise Nigerians to always seek professional care. The era of going under the bridge to put whatever concoction into the eyes is over,” Chinedu said.

He said that the use of unregulated remedies could cause further damage to the eyes.