World Sight Day: Association advocates regular eye screening
The Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Edo chapter, has advised the public to make eye screening utmost priority to detect any disease.
The President of MWAN, Edo branch, Dr Adesuwa Urhoghide-Edigin, gave the advice during a Road Show/Awareness programme on Thursday in Benin to mark 2021 World Sight Day.
The day is annually celebrated in the month of October to bring global attention to blindness and vision impairment.
The theme of this year’s World Eye Day is “Love Your Eyes”, aimed at creating awareness about the importance of regular eye screening.
According to her, there are more than a billion people across the globe that cannot see properly because they do not have access to glasses.
She added that “out of the number, one billion people have preventable vision impairment.
“Poor or lost eyesight can leave major and long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work, and the daily routine.
“Majority of people suffering from poor vision are above the age of 50 years. However, vision loss can affect people of all ages; hence MWAN Edo is calling on the public to help reduce blindness by going for eye screening.
“We can prevent our eyes from getting damaged by eating balanced diet.
“We can also protect our eyes from damage by wearing protective eye wear from sunlight, reducing screen time and clean off cosmetics around the eyes for women.
“We should also preserve our eyes by adding eye check to our annual health checkup. Finally, let us prioritise our eyes,’’ she said.
She explained that some of the causes of blindness may include: Cataract, Glaucoma, River Blindness,Trachoma and Uncorrected Refractive Error (URE).
Mr Calilus Uwagboe, a trader who was screened, thanked the association for organising the awareness programme.
He said “I thank this medical association for coming out today to educate us on why we should screen our eye.”
Grace Okorocha, another trader who was also screened, thanked the association for organising the programme and urged government to make eye screening free for older persons in the state.
