1.3m became blind in Nigeria in 2020 – Sightsavers

Sightsavers, an international development organisation, has said there are an estimated 24million people with vision loss in Nigeria of which 1.3 million became blind in 2020.

The organisation disclosed this in a statement issued shortly after the federal government launched its first national eye health policy to tackle growing problems of avoidable blindness and vision impairment in the country. 

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The policy created in conjunction with Sightsavers sets out guidance and commitments needed to reduce the eye health crisis. Sunday Isiyaku, Nigeria Country Director at Sightsavers, said the policy would help provide quality eye health services for all Nigerians and reduce the social and economic impact caused by vision impairments.

The priority areas of the new policy include rolling out the policy to the 36 states, creating state eye health coordination teams to lead on implementation, advanced training for eye health professionals, and ensuring affordable service is accessible.