The Lagos State Government has provided primary eye care services within communities in the state to prevent avoidable blindness.
Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Health, made the disclosure during an awareness and sensitisation walk to commemorate the World Glaucoma Week.
Ogunyemi said this in a statement signed by Tunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director, Public Affairs, state Ministry of Health, on Thursday in Lagos.
World Glaucoma Week is celebrated globally from March 10 to 16 with the 2024 theme: “Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World,” aiming at bringing communities worldwide to fight glaucoma.
Glaucoma is caused when pressure builds up inside the eye, damaging the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain. It can cause irreversible blindness if it is not timely treated.
Ogunyemi noted that the state’s intervention at communities include eye screening, eye health education, free treatment for minor eye conditions, and a referral system to secondary eye units.
She added that the state had equipped 11 general hospitals with facilities to investigate and manage cataract, glaucoma, and other common eye conditions.
The general hospitals are Lagos Island, Ikorodu, Gbagada, Ajeromi, Isolo, Badagry, Orile Agege, Epe, Ijede, Ifako-Ijaiye, and Alimosho.
According to her, over 650,000 residents have benefited from free eye interventions through the state ministry of health’s blindness prevention programme.
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She said that 270,000 residents received free eye glasses from the state government, while over 30,000 underwent free surgeries to restore their vision.
Ogunyemi noted that the week-long activities would include free eye screening for market women within the premises of Police Barracks, Alausa.
Similarly, Dr Funmilayo Shokunbi, the Director, Medical Administration Training and Programme in the ministry, advised residents, especially those above the age of 40, to conduct regular eye screening to ensure good eye health. (NAN)
