World glaucoma week: FG trains 2,200 health workers on screening skills

In a decisive move to combat the surging threat of irreversible blindness across the country, the Federal Government has revealed that it has equipped over 2,200 primary healthcare workers with the critical skills needed to detect and manage glaucoma at the grassroots level.

This massive training initiative, conducted under the "Better Vision 2.0 Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria," spans 16 states and is designed to create a frontline defense against a disease that currently leaves nearly 14 million Nigerians at risk of total vision loss.

By empowering these community-based health officers to conduct basic vision screenings and facilitate timely referrals to specialized facilities, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare aims to bridge the diagnostic gap for the estimated 90 to 94 percent of sufferers who remain unaware of their condition.

During a press briefing in Abuja to commemorate the 2026 World Glaucoma Week, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that this workforce expansion is a cornerstone of the National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan (2024–2028).

Beyond the thousands of primary health workers, the Minister revealed that the government has also concluded specialized training for ophthalmologists across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

These experts are tasked with establishing state-level training programs to standardize diagnosis and treatment protocols nationwide, guided by the newly developed Nigeria Glaucoma Guidelines and Toolkits.

This tiered educational approach ensures that from rural clinics to tertiary hospitals, the silent thief of sight can be identified before permanent damage occurs.

The urgency of this training surge is underscored by the alarming reality that glaucoma accounts for approximately 16.7 percent of all blindness in Nigeria, affecting roughly one in every twenty citizens over the age of 40.

Also speaking, the Ministry's Permanent Secretary, Kachallom Daju noted that the government’s commitment to reducing avoidable blindness is now being matched by practical, standardized referral systems that prevent patients from falling through the cracks of the healthcare system.