Digital Technology Can Help End Avoidable Blindness In Nigeria — FG

Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Adekunle Salako, stated this at the 51st Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN), themed, “Reimagining Eye Care in the Digital Era.” in Abuja.

Salako said the theme was timely, noting that digital transformation had moved beyond being a futuristic concept to becoming an essential tool for expanding access to healthcare, improving clinical outcomes and preventing avoidable blindness.

He said millions of Nigerians continue to live with unaddressed visual impairment and blindness caused by conditions including cataract, glaucoma, refractive errors and diabetic retinopathy.

According to him, the burden is compounded by geographical barriers, uneven distribution of health workers and socioeconomic inequalities, which have continued to limit access to specialised eye care, particularly in rural communities.

He said digital innovations could help bridge the gap by taking diagnostic capacity beyond tertiary hospitals to primary healthcare facilities and underserved communities.

“Through tele-ophthalmology, remote screening, simulation training, digital screening tools, handheld smartphone-based fundus cameras and AI-enabled diagnostic algorithms, we can push diagnostic capacities from tertiary centres into primary healthcare facilities and rural communities,” Salako said.

Salako challenged the OSN and other stakeholders to develop affordable and locally relevant digital solutions capable of functioning in low-resource and off-grid settings.

He also called for greater investment in training ophthalmologists to use emerging digital technologies, while ensuring that technological advancement did not deepen inequalities.

“We must ensure that technological advancements bridge gaps rather than widen them, so that digital eye care reaches the underserved, the elderly and rural populations who need it most,” he said.

He further urged stronger research and policy collaboration to generate robust national eye-health data, establish ethical frameworks for AI in clinical practice and ensure that digital tools were developed using data relevant to Nigerian patients.

Earlier, president of the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria, Dr Gloria Patrick-Ferife, said Nigeria must embrace digital innovation while ensuring that patients remained at the centre of eye care.

Patrick-Ferife said the country had more than 24 million people living with sight loss, with 84 per cent of the burden attributed to preventable and avoidable causes.

She also cited blindness data indicating that 4.2 per cent of Nigerians aged above 40 were blind.

She urged ophthalmologists, optometrists, ophthalmic nurses, opticians and other members of the eye-care team to strengthen teamwork and collaboration in addressing the country’s eye-health burden.

According to her, while artificial intelligence, tele-ophthalmology, digital imaging, electronic medical records, simulation-based training and data-driven research were transforming ophthalmology, their adoption must be guided by ethics, patient safety, equity, data protection and human dignity.

“As we discuss artificial intelligence, digital technology and the future of ophthalmology, let us remember that behind every scan, image, dataset and algorithm is a human being who has entrusted us with their sight,” she said.

She said the future of ophthalmology must therefore be “technologically advanced, yet deeply human.”

The President of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Prof Afekhide Ernest Omoti, also commended the OSN for its contributions to professional excellence, continuous medical education, research and innovation over the past five decades.

Omoti, who is a professor of ophthalmology, said Nigeria’s significant burden of blindness and visual impairment made it imperative for the country to harness digital technologies to improve access to quality eye care, particularly for rural and underserved populations.

He, however, stressed that technological advancement must remain anchored on professional ethics, patient safety, equity, human dignity and high standards of clinical practice.

He reaffirmed the NMA’s commitment to working with the OSN and other medical specialty societies to strengthen the health system and empower doctors to provide safe, effective and compassionate care.