Only 10% have normal vision in Kano, Jigawa – Expert

A consultant ophthalmologist and paediatrician and Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the ECWA Eye Hospital in Kano, Dr Atima Mayor, has revealed that only 10 per cent of the combined population of Kano and Jigawa states have normal vision.

Dr Mayor made the disclosure during the unveiling of Information Communication and Education (ICE) materials for the Comprehensive and Inclusive Eye Health (CIHE) project in Kano and Jigawa states sponsored by CBM UK and CBM Australia.

He said, “The Nigerian National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey found that the prevalence of blindness in Nigeria is 0.78 per cent, with the North West having the highest burden of blindness among the six geopolitical zones.”

In response to the burden, CBM-G, in partnership with ECWA Eye Hospital Kano, initiated a four-year comprehensive and inclusive eye health project, and to establish evidence-based statistics for the programme, a survey was conducted at the inception of the project in Kano and Jigawa states.

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Dr Mayor further Said, “The survey reflected the National Blindness Survey findings, showing that refractive error accounts for 49 per cent of cases in Kano, but only 26 per cent in Jigawa. Childhood cataract prevalence is 17 per cent in Kano and 26 per cent in Jigawa. Congenital glaucoma affects three per cent of children in Kano, compared to 12 per cent in Jigawa. Corneal opacity is three per cent in Kano and two per cent in Jigawa. Normal vision was found in only nine per cent of the population in Kano and three per cent in Jigawa.”

Dr Mayor noted that Jigawa had a higher prevalence of childhood cataract and congenital glaucoma than Kano, while Kano had a higher rate of refractive errors.

To address the high prevalence of blindness in the states, Dr Mayor emphasised the need for increased awareness.