As part of efforts to combat blindness in the country, Nigerians aged 40 years and above have been advised to go for regular eye checks and consult a qualified ophthalmologist for treatment when diagnosed with an eye disorder.
Dr. Fatima Kyari, Registrar, Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) made the call during the 2nd Advanced Glaucoma surgery course and Nurses Glaucoma training course held at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada.
Dr. Kyari chairs the Glaucoma Society of Nigeria and was also a Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Glaucoma Lead at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital. She described glaucoma as the ‘Silent Thief of Sight’ adding that frequent eye test was paramount as part of measures for early detection of glaucoma for treatment to prevent vision loss.
According to her, the surgery course funded by the Tropical Health Education Trust (THET) is aimed at training of ophthalmic surgeons to improve their surgical skills, for more confidence and proficiency in surgery and improved patient safety.
The nurses glaucoma skills course is to improve the nurses skills and competence in carrying out some special glaucoma tests for patients, and these tests include intraocular pressure measurement, visual field assessment and doing the optical coherence tomography (OCT).
“Few days ago we undertook training for the Nigeria Glaucoma Guideline & Toolkit with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and we have a section that talks about setting up a programme on glaucoma care, it addresses public health interventions, advocacy and raising awareness on glaucoma.
“For those under 40 years, we recommend that they have an eye test every 2-5 years and those 40 years above we recommend that they have theirs at least every 2 years, but when we find a problem we recommend more regular eye examinations and early treatment.
“If we are able to diagnose glaucoma earlier, we can reduce the risk of blindness so that the patient enjoys good vision for the rest of their lives with treatment.
“We are raising awareness and talking to people during special health days we also help patients to organise themselves through support groups to help each other. As family members of glaucoma patients are at higher risk for glaucoma, we also advise glaucoma patients to ensure their families have eye tests to screen for glaucoma” she said.
However, the opthalmologist highlighted the importance of good eye-check, which she said creates a ripple effect across well-being, educational attainment, economic productivity and good health outcomes.
The trainees are Dr. Karinya Lewis, Dr. Winnie Nolan and Mrs Elizabeth Ojeyinka (International specialists that matched up with the Nigerian glaucoma specialists) Dr. Fatima Kyari, Dr. Adedeji Akinyemi, Dr. Abdullahi Sadiq Mohammed.
Meanwhile, the partners are, International Centre for Eye Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London and National Eye Centre, Kaduna.
