According to eye care expert Dr. Tochukwu Onwuzulike, presbyopia affects no less than 1 billion people globally.
This information was revealed by Onwuzulike, an optometrist with the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Vision Spring, on Friday in Abuja during the opening of a free eye care initiative at the Apo resettlement, FCT.
Presbyopia is a disorder of the eyes when the eye steadily loses its capacity to focus swiftly on up-close objects.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Act Foundation assisted the Eye Care Aid Foundation, Vision Spring, in organising the free eye examination.
Among the 1 billion people affected, 500 million were visually handicapped because they lacked access to reading glasses, according to Onwuzulike, a business development specialist.
He claimed that the NGOs were concerned about the 2 million blind people in Nigeria.
The optometrist described the figure as alarming and emphasised that it was a significant issue that needed to be addressed quickly.
The eye doctor recommended patients to develop the practise of caring for their eyes and getting checked out when needed.
“This event is particularly significant because it addresses eye care, a major issue that affects everyone on the planet. It has been discovered that good eye health increases productivity and improves people’s quality of life.
“Assisting millions of Nigerians with their eye care needs is vital because it improves their quality of life and, to a significant part, their mental health.
“Presbyopia is a widespread issue; approximately 1 billion individuals worldwide suffer from it; of these, no less than 500 million are visually handicapped due to a lack of access to reading glasses.
The collaboration of the Act Foundation, Eye Care Aid Foundation, and Vision Spring to conduct this screening with the assistance of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) and the FCT health authority is a very good thing.
“We are determined to see that 20, 000 people are screened for eye disease and that 10,000 free pairs of glasses are distributed in the FCT,” he declared.
Eye Care Aid Foundation CEO Dr. Adesuwa Agbontaen had earlier stated that the initiative will last through June 2024 and would visit all of the localities in the FCT.
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“Today we are launching our project, the Eye Care Aid project for residents of the FCT. We are providing eye care services, eye exams, and free reading glasses to 20,000 people in the FCT.
“Our mandate is to deliver 10,000 pairs of glasses, and we plan to carry out this operation through June 2024. We are visiting every community in the FCT, from one location to the next.
Eye problems won’t manifest themselves until you visit a doctor; otherwise, you won’t know you have them because some eye problems are hidden and won’t be apparent until you do.
“With this exercise, we are raising awareness; we are aware that world sight day is approaching on October 12; this exercise is also to commemorate vision care for that day, as well as to talk about eye care issues,” he stated.
The head of information and public relations for AMAC, Mr. Emeka Mbanusi, praised the eye screening’s organisers in his remarks and added that AMAC was just working with them to provide guidance on where to conduct the exercise in the FCT.
He said that the AMAC Chairman, Mr. Christopher Maikalagu, has made significant contributions to the area council’s people’ access to medical treatment for infants, mothers, and senior citizens.
Mbanusi stated that AMAC was providing matching financing for the elimination of polio and other routine immunisations in order to guarantee that children under the age of five received care.
In numerous towns in FCT, he claims, AMAC has provided free medical care, including albendazole to deworm children and free malaria medications.
