Imbibe routine eye checks to curb blindness

The alarming rate of visual impairments in the country should warrant an urgent review of eye care policies in the healthcare sector. Most important in that appraisal is the frequency of eye checks among the adult population, coupled with the level of personal commitment required of individuals.

To create awareness on preventing moderate to severe visual impairments, the Nigerian Optometric Association recently organised events to mark 2023 World Optometry Day, drawing attention to the endemic problem now fast assuming epidemic proportions. Shockingly, the experts hinted that there are over 4.25 million adults in Nigeria, aged 40 and above, suffering from moderate to severe visual impairment or blindness. The specialists said cataracts, glaucoma and uncorrected refractive errors are leading causes of blindness.

While cataracts, the leading cause of blindness, is reversible, quite regrettable is the inadequacy of manpower to help such cases that are redeemable. The expert said they are readily handicapped in a country that has 700 ophthalmologists to 200 million people – that is, one specialist to 286,000 patients – as against the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of one ophthalmologist for 50,000 people in developing countries.

Despite the double jeopardy, one cannot overemphasize that a good sight is synonymous to potential good productive life. Thus, the association urged Nigerians to go for regular eye checks to forestall avoidable blindness or having to be in need of advanced care services that are scarce to find.

More so, over 50 per cent of sight loss is preventable, and getting your eyes tested can help prevent, or limit the damage caused by certain eye conditions.

Suffice to add that regular eye examinations are important as they help detect culprits such as cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, which could lead to sight loss. Specifically, glaucoma has been referred to as the silent killer, because often, it does not have any symptoms. As a result, it is critical that people at risk of glaucoma have their eyes examined regularly for early detection, and as much as possible offered treatment to prevent further sight degeneration.

That heads-up is not just for the adult population; children should be helped to do periodic eye checks. Eye examinations for children are vital to ensure that any visual problems such as squint, lazy eye (amblyopia) or short-sightedness (myopia) are detected and treated promptly. Furthermore, the specialists warned that sometimes, children perform badly at school, not because they are not brilliant, but because they have poor sight. Hence, through regular eye checks, an optometrist may also be able to spot signs of some broader health conditions with symptoms that affect the eyes, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Essentially, the body of optometrists is reminding all Nigerians of the importance of good eye health and of having their eyes tested every two years. Apart from regular eye checks, other important steps to healthy sight are preventing exposure to sunlight, quitting smoking, eating a balanced diet, having regular exercise, wearing safety goggles to protect eyes doing sporting activities and in the workplace, and taking regular breaks from the computer screen. Quite importantly, changes to vision should never be discountenanced; rather, have the same immediately reported to the specialists.

For emphasis, periodic eye checks will curb the growing cases of eye-related infections and diseases. Once the problem is detected, having your vision corrected can improve the quality of day-to-day life and forestall blindness.

Therefore, the government should prioritise healthcare in Nigeria and aim to achieve universal eye health coverage nationwide, through effective planning and development of the human resources sector to boost eye-care services in rural communities, scale up awareness at both rural and urban areas, and in accordance to peculiar needs in various regions.

As such, basic eye care training should be provided to relevant human resources such as teachers in schools, family physicians, paediatricians, midwives, nurses, immunisation workers and other primary healthcare workers. This is to enhance early detection and referral of eye problems in the community, with appropriate linkages developed with specialist eye care units and departments that will improve access to eye care services. Also appropriate is the affordability and accessible refraction and surgical services. There should be aggressive sensitisation to encourage individuals to prioritise their eye health and regularly go for vision screenings, because sight is precious.

For the individuals, we should love our eyes more, especially because they allow us to navigate through the world safely. If we all love our eyes, we can forestall blindness through regular eye checks and care. So, every Nigerian should reduce the risk of visual impairments and vision loss by developing a positive attitude towards regular eye examinations, instead of waiting until there are vision changes, pain or itching before going for an eye check.