The Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA) has advised Nigerians to go for regular eye check-ups in order to protect themselves from eye diseases and blindness.
The national president of the association, Dr Obinna Awiaka, made the call during the association’s 45th annual conference and annual general meeting in Abuja.
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He advised Nigerians to seek eye care from specialists and not street vendors and quacks.
He also called on the federal government to make more employment opportunities available for optometrists in the country.
He said the current distribution of optometrists in Nigeria falls way below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended proportion.
Awiaka said the massive brain drain of optometrists and other eye-care professionals from Nigeria to other countries had worsened the burden of blindness in the country.
He said the theme of this year’s conference was chosen because partnerships promote innovation, and evidence-based practices and enable parties involved to begin to work in new, more efficient or impactful ways.
He said research has shown that the most effective partnerships are those built on a common goal, and finding that all-important area of strategic complementarities that would increase the likelihood of the parties benefiting from the experience.
“Our common goal, in this case, is to ensure a healthier society in which no one is needlessly blind; a society in which everyone, including those with unavoidable vision loss, should live out their full potential all round.”
“This can only be achieved with the full cooperation and partnership of all stakeholders, as it is obvious that no group or individual can do it alone,” he added.
Dr Awiaka said the effective implementation of the National Eye Health Policy would go a long way in strengthening Nigeria’s health system, and the attainment of Universal Eye Health.
The Federal Ministry of Health had recently launched the National Eye Health Policy and inaugurated National Eye Health Committee to oversee equitable access to quality eye care services.
