Except stringent measures are taken, more
than 90 million people might go blind globally by 2020, the Nigerian
Optometric Association warned on Tuesday.
However, over one million Nigerians above
age 40 are currently blind, according to a recent survey by the Federal
Ministry of Health.
The NOA President, Dr. Damian Echendu,
raised the alarm at a briefing to herald the association’s 39th Annual
General Meeting and conference, scheduled to commence on Thursday in
Abuja.
He said, “Based on a study, no fewer than
one million people are blind in Nigeria. These are avoidable cases.
Those mostly affected are above 40 years of age. By 2020, if actions are
not taken to prevent the avoidable causes of blindness, the number
might double.
“Blindness is more prevalent in
sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, lack of basic amenities and insensitivity
of government towards health care workers are among the main causes of
blindness in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Echendu therefore called on the
government to set up optometry departments in state and federal
ministries of health and other tertiary health care institutions in the
country.
“While these injustices go on, millions
of Nigerians are going blind from simple and avoidable causes and the
Nigerian economy is losing productivity.
Nigerian-trained optometrists
are positioned and ready to provide the professional services needed to
enhance and protect the vision and health of the public,” he added.
He
also expressed concern over the near absence of employment
opportunities for optometrists in public health care facilities and
institutions in the country.
Echendu also frowned on inadequate
funding of postgraduate optometry training by government, which, he
said, had led to lack of research and non-implementation of internship
training programmes in public health facilities.
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