At least 24 million Nigerians are currently suffering from sight loss, the Vice Chancellor of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, Ebonyi State, Professor Jesse Uneke, has revealed.
Speaking during the launch of the university’s Free Eye Care Initiative and Eye Research Programme, Uneke cited findings from the National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey which show that 4.2% of Nigerians above 40 years are blind, while over 4.25 million adults face moderate to severe visual impairment. He lamented that 84% of blindness cases are due to preventable causes such as cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors.
The don noted that limited access to eye care services, particularly in rural communities, worsens the situation. He announced that DUFUHS, with TETFund support, has established a state-of-the-art Eye Centre and Institute for Eye Health and Visual Sciences Research to improve accessibility, raise awareness, and provide affordable solutions in line with the WHO’s SPECS 2030 initiative.