|By Prosper Okoye
ABUJA — A Nigerian health advocate, Dr. Kiema Ogunlana, has called for greater support for people living with visual impairment, urging governments and health organisations to complement blindness prevention with improved access to healthcare, education, employment and other social opportunities.
Ogunlana, Programme Director of Daisy Oak Foundation, made the call during a World Sight Day outreach in Ruga community, along Airport Road, Abuja, where underserved residents received free eye examinations and other healthcare services.
“While we are investing in preventing vision loss, there should also be investment in those who are already visually impaired to ensure that they are not denied access to health, employment and other social opportunities,” she said.
Ogunlana cited World Health Organisation estimates that about 2.2 billion people globally live with near or distance vision impairment, noting that many cases could be prevented or addressed through appropriate interventions and access to eye-care services.
“We need to be conscious about our eye health. This is why this kind of intervention, especially in communities that are very hard to reach, is very important to us,” she said.
The foundation and its partner organisations provided free eye examinations, eyeglasses, eye-health education, general health education, deworming medication and other healthcare services during the outreach.
Ogunlana said the intervention was designed to raise awareness about eye health and ensure that residents of underserved communities were not excluded from essential healthcare because of their location or economic circumstances.
“We have ensured that they understand the importance of taking care of their health, especially their eyes. Because behind those statistics are real people,” she said.
She said the 2026 World Sight Day theme, “Every Story Counts,” highlights the experiences of people affected by vision problems and the need to make eye care more accessible.
World Sight Day was observed on Thursday, Oct. 8, with the global campaign emphasising personal experiences, community action and wider access to eye-care services.
Also speaking, Okechukwu Chibueze, Programme Officer at Sam Empowerment Foundation (SEF), said the theme reflected the different backgrounds and experiences that shape people’s eye-health journeys.
“In line with the theme, ‘Every Story Counts’, we know that each person comes from a diverse background which defines their story and their sight history. Beyond this, we are here to unveil to them possibilities beyond what they see,” Chibueze said.
“There are two ways to see. One is mental and the second is visual,” he added.
Chibueze stressed the importance of partnerships among organisations in extending healthcare interventions to underserved communities.
“We believe in partnership in line with SDG Goal 17, as combining each organisation’s strengths upholds humanity,” he said.
Dr. Njezi Chinedu, Chairman of the Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Chapter, said the World Sight Day theme drew attention to the human experiences behind statistics on vision impairment.
“In choosing the theme, we considered the statistics, knowing that behind the statistics are human beings,” Chinedu said.
He said an estimated 4.2 million Nigerians were at risk of blindness, warning that vision impairment could affect people’s ability to work, attend school and provide for their families.
“Behind this statistic is a father who, because of his visual impairment, cannot function at work and therefore cannot give his best. He is at risk of losing his job and putting his family on the poverty line,” he said.
Chinedu said children with vision problems that prevented them from attending or participating effectively in school could struggle to achieve their full potential.
“Behind the statistics of children who are out of school because they cannot see is a child who might never reach his potential because his vision is impaired,” he said.
He urged government agencies and non-governmental organisations to expand access to affordable eye-care services, particularly in underserved communities where healthcare facilities and specialist services may be limited.
“We are all calling on government and non-government organisations to take affordable eye care to places that are unreached,” he said.
Chinedu also advised Nigerians to seek treatment from qualified eye-care professionals rather than rely on unverified remedies that could worsen eye conditions.
“I advise Nigerians to always seek professional care. The era of going under the bridge to put whatever concoction into the eyes is over,” he said.
He warned that unregulated substances applied to the eyes could cause further damage.
