In a country where millions live with preventable visual impairment, the Mainstream Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited, has highlighted the need to consistently phase out blindness in Nigeria.
This comes as the foundation has conducted over 2,000 free cataract surgeries, distributed more than 6,000 pairs of glasses, and examined over 22,500 patients in the last 10 years.
Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that over one billion people live with preventable vision impairment, most of them in developing countries. Nigeria represents a significant portion of that statistic, but through efforts like the Mainstream Foundation’s, the tide may be slowly turning.
Programme Manager at the Foundation, Zayyan Illo, decried the spread of blindness in riverine communities in the country, stressing that the economic impact of blindness on vulnerable populations remains unbearable.
Illo said the initiative is part of a broader commitment to advancing health, education, environment, and empowerment across communities in the northern part of the country and beyond.
Under its health focus, he noted that the foundation organises medical outreaches three to four times yearly, sometimes even more, prioritising eye health because of its direct link to quality of life, productivity, and economic wellbeing.
“We observed many cases of river blindness, cataract, and severe eye allergies, particularly in rural and low-income communities that lack access to eye specialists. We saw it as a duty to intervene and help people restore their vision and, by extension, their dignity,” Illo said.
The foundation collaborates with ophthalmologists from reputable institutions such as the Kaduna Medical Eye Centre, Sokoto Eye Clinic, and Minna General Hospital. These professionals volunteer their time and expertise to conduct surgeries, screenings, and examinations, often in remote communities that have little or no access to medical facilities.
Beyond its host communities, which are in Niger State, Illo said the foundation has extended its outreaches to Benin, Yola, and even the Niger Republic.
According to him, the foundation has since recorded a 100 per cent success rate across all its cataract surgeries.
Illo said, “We’ve never had a single failed procedure. That record alone has built immense trust.”
Bida community, one of the foundation’s regular outreach locations, often records the highest turnout of patients. Yet, recent assessments indicate a gradual reduction in new cataract cases, a sign that sustained interventions may be reducing prevalence.
To better understand these trends, the Mainstream Foundation is conducting a comprehensive impact and root-cause assessment, examining environmental and health factors behind the surge in cataract and related conditions.
Preliminary findings point to poor water quality as a key driver of eye diseases. Many rural residents depend on untreated river water, which exposes them to infections leading to river blindness, allergies, and other complications.
“We discovered that water from the rivers is a major cause of these problems,” Illo explained, adding, “As an immediate response, we’ve been providing communities with clean water alternatives and containers to reduce their dependence on unsafe river sources.”
While awaiting final results from its ongoing study, Illo said the link between poor eyesight and economic decline is more direct than many realise.
Cataract and vision loss restrict rural farmers’ ability to work efficiently, affecting both household income and national food supply.
“When farmers can’t see properly, they can’t work productively. That reduces supply, increases prices, and affects the local economy. So, eye health isn’t just a medical issue, it’s an economic one,” he said.
Illo believes that while private efforts like the Mainstream Foundation’s are crucial, government support remains indispensable.
He called for state-led eye care programmes, ideally conducted quarterly or biannually, to complement non-profit initiatives and reach more people.
“Government has the capacity to institutionalise eye care. With proper funding, equipment, and coordination, together we can almost eliminate cataracts, eye infections, and allergies. The impact would be enormous,” he said.
He added that most of the ophthalmologists engaged in the foundation’s outreaches are government hospital doctors, proof that partnership, rather than duplication, can accelerate results.
Since its inception, the foundation has held over thirty medical outreaches across communities, with tangible outcomes reflected in the number of people treated, surgeries performed, and glasses distributed.
Narrating his ordeal with cataract before getting free surgery, Umar Isah said he had noticed what appeared like a growth in his eye before the condition worsened.
Isah disclosed that the surgery restored his livelihood, as the blindness had dramatically deprived him of economic activities.
Expressing gratitude to the foundation, Isah stated that the initiative gave him a second chance.
Another beneficiary, Rukayya Sanusi, said she was previously treated, but the problem persisted for about fifteen years before eventually receiving succour through the foundation.
“I truly felt a difference; there was clear improvement. My condition changed from how it used to be. Before the surgery, whenever the pain came, it was unbearable,” she said.
