Lagos State schedules a walk against glaucoma
LAGOS State Ministry of Health has organized an awareness walk and a free eye pressure check to commemorate the Year 2022 World Glaucoma Week in Lagos from Sunday, March 6 to Sunday, March 12, 2022.
The Lagos State Government also used the opportunity to warn citizens to avoid patronizing unqualified eye healthcare personnel, adding that regular eye checks will prevent irreversible blindness that may be caused by Glaucoma and other blinding conditions.
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hile speaking after the awareness walk, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, explained that patronage of unqualified eye health professionals for eye care services is inimical to the efforts being made by the government and relevant stakeholders to reduce the prevalence of avoidable blinding eye conditions.
Dr Ogboye noted that the theme of the Year 2022 World Glaucoma Week, “The World is Bright, Save Your Sight”, brings to fore the need for citizens to take responsibility and good care of their eyes to prevent vision impairment and irreversible blindness caused by Glaucoma and other blinding eye conditions.
He said: “The eye is a very delicate organ in the body that requires proper attention and treatment by licensed eye healthcare professionals. The eye is such a precious gift to all human beings and it is something we must pay particular attention to. I would say to everyone that patronize quacks for their eye healthcare that they need to make a re-evaluation of how important their eyes are. I know how important my eyes are to me, and I definitely won’t be submitting it to just anybody to look at and I certainly won’t be inserting any fluid or drug that is not recommended.”
Dr Ogboye stated that the awareness walk organized by the Ministry of Health to commemorate this year’s World Glaucoma Week is targeted towards creating awareness and sensitizing the populace on the dangers of Glaucoma as a silent killer of the sight.
Speaking in the same vein, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Director, Medical Administration, Training and Programmes in the Ministry of Health, Dr Funmilayo Shokunbi, explained that blindness caused by glaucoma is irreversible and has no cure but can be successfully managed if detected early enough.
Emphasizing the need for regular eye checks as a preventive measure against Glaucoma, Dr Shokunbi noted that citizens who are over the age of 40 years, have family members with glaucoma, have high intraocular (eye) pressure or have had an eye injury or eye surgery are at risk of Glaucoma.
The Ophthalmologist disclosed further that the Ministry of Health is organizing free eye screening and intraocular pressure checks for public servants including members of the Lagos State Executive Council, Body of Permanent Secretaries as well as civil servants as part of activities for the weeklong World Glaucoma commemoration in Lagos State.
