Second Thursday of October every year is a day set aside for World Sight Day.
It is an annual event and a day to create awareness on blindness and
visual impairment and it is being coordinated by the International
Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, IAPB, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, WHO.
Statistics has estimated that about thirty- nine million people across the globe are blind while more than two hundred million people have moderate to severe vision impairment.
The Assistant Chief Optometrist and Head of Eye Clinic General
Hospital, Ekwulobia, Dr Ifeanyi Obi who stated that eye is a delicate organ of the body and should be handled with care, maintained that the leading cause of avoidable blindness are cataracts, glaucoma,
diabetic retinopathy and age related macular degeneration among others.
He advised the general public to eat healthy diet, always visit optometrist for early detection of eye problems, reduce alcohol intake and smoking as according to him excessive intake of alcohol and smoking increases the risk of cataracts and other eye problems.
Sharing his thought on the issue, the Chairman Nigeria Optometric
Association, Anambra State Chapter, Dr Chigozie Umeh said the significance of the celebration is to educate and inform people on blindness and vision impairment, noting that eye problems are prevalent now especially among young people.
In his reaction, a Consultant on Low- Vision, Dr Jude-Thaddeus Nguzoro and Dr Uchechukwu Umeche of the State Hospital Management Board, said that use of cell phones, laptops and computers in dark places increases blue rays entering the eyes which affects retina, noting that traditional eye care practices like application of breast milk into the eye also promote eye problems.
On their parts, State Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corp, Mr. Sunday Ajayi and another Optometrist, Dr Victor Uchendu described sight as
window and most important organ in human body that is very essential
in life, noting that the major causes of preventable blindness include
uncorrected refractive errors and encouraged drivers and affected
people to always go for eye screening before plying on the road and
use correction lenses and frames to prevent blindness.
Theme for 2018 world sight day is ”Universal Eye Health”.
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