OSN Targets 500 Nigerians For Free Cataract Surgeries

At least 500 Nigerians are set to receive free cataract surgeries as the Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN), under the leadership of its President, Dr Gloria Patrick-Ferife, begins a three-day surgical outreach in the country.

Patrick-Ferife, represented by the Vice President, Prof. Abdulkadir Rafindadi, disclosed this on Friday at a press briefing ahead of the society’s 51st Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting in Abuja.

The outreach, which began on August 27 and will run until August 29, is also providing eye screenings, prescription glasses and essential medications to patients with refractive errors and ocular surface conditions.

Patrick-Ferife said the intervention was necessary given the continuing burden of visual impairment and preventable blindness in Nigeria, particularly among people who face difficulties accessing eye-care services.

She said the Society’s annual conference, scheduled for September 2 to 4 in Abuja, would examine the growing use of digital technology in eye care and its potential to address gaps in service delivery.

According to her, artificial intelligence-powered diagnostics, tele-ophthalmology, portable digital perimetry and electronic health infrastructure are increasingly becoming relevant to the diagnosis and management of eye conditions.

She said the conference would consider how these technologies could be deployed in Nigeria to address persistent challenges such as high treatment costs, geographical barriers and shortages of skilled personnel.

“Technology offers unprecedented tools to bridge gaps in clinical delivery. As a society, we must aggressively explore how these advances can be localised, scaled, and integrated to dismantle barriers of cost, geography, and human resource shortages that continue to impede optimal vision care in our country,” she said.

Patrick-Ferife said the conference would bring together eye-care professionals and researchers to discuss clinical practice, research and technology in ophthalmology.

She added that a communiqué containing recommendations on eye-care delivery would be issued at the end of the conference.