The Nigerian authorities has raised issues over the rising burden of Glaucoma, warning that the majority Nigerians are in danger resulting from genetic predisposition and different contributing components.
The Minister of State for Well being and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, whereas talking at a press briefing to commemorate the 2025 World Glaucoma Week (WGW) in Abuja on Monday, mentioned just about all Nigerians are prone to Glaucoma, a number one reason behind irreversible blindness.
Mr Salako, represented by the Director, Port Well being Division of the ministry, Michael Akpan, famous that Glaucoma is reported to have an effect on an estimated 60.5 million folks worldwide, about 87 per cent of which reside in creating nations, together with Nigeria.
He mentioned in accordance with the Nigerian blindness and visible impairment survey 2005-2007, Glaucoma accounts for 16.7 per cent of blindness within the nation.“The danger components related to Glaucoma embody African ancestry, which implies just about all Nigerians are in danger and growing age (over 40 years),” the minister mentioned.“Further threat components embody household historical past of glaucoma, elevated eye strain, medical circumstances that predispose an individual to glaucoma akin to diabetes and hypertension, refractive errors, eye accidents, skinny corneas and extended use of corticosteroid eye drops.”
He defined that latest research are reporting an earlier onset of the illness and a extra extreme course in individuals of African descent.
About Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a watch situation during which the optic nerve is progressively and irreversibly broken, leading to lack of peripheral imaginative and prescient at first and blindness at superior levels.
It’s the second most typical reason behind blindness and the main reason behind irreversible blindness worldwide. It’s, nevertheless, manageable if detected early.
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World Glaucoma Week
WGW is marked each second week of March to stress the significance of standard eye checks and early prognosis of the largely asymptomatic and devastating illness.
The theme for the 2025 WGW is “Uniting for a glaucoma-free world; see the long run clearly.”Mr Salako mentioned that to commemorate the WGW week, the ministry goals to teach the general public about Glaucoma and the significance of standard eye check-ups and provide screening and spectacles when required.
Using focused technique
Mr Salako mentioned the ministry is keenly conscious of particular components that put Nigerians prone to imaginative and prescient loss and has labored assiduously through the years by supporting and implementing focused screening, public consciousness programmes and advocacy.
He mentioned the ministry has additionally been enhancing affected person journey by way of the well being system, leveraging expertise and setting analysis priorities to enhance affected person outcomes.
He famous that the ministry not too long ago developed and launched the Nationwide Glaucoma Screening and Therapy Tips to supply scientific and programmatic steering for screening and administration.
In her keynote tackle, the Everlasting Secretary on the ministry, Daju Kachollom, urged Nigerians to take motion by scheduling a routine complete eye examination to forestall imaginative and prescient loss brought on by Glaucoma.
Ms Kachollom, represented by the Nationwide Coordinator, Nationwide Eye Well being Programme, Oteri Okolo, mentioned many individuals have been identified with Glaucoma at a late stage.“The influence on their imaginative and prescient and life is commonly important and a stark reminder of how essential early detection is. This expertise ought to gasoline our ardour for elevating consciousness about this situation and advocating for normal eye check-ups.”
In her remarks, Ms Okolo emphasised the necessity to fight Glaucoma-related blindness in Nigeria.
She defined that this irreversible blindness, the place not detected early and the place not handled, has really been a important subject for the well being sector.
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She famous that the ministry has taken proactive steps by gathering key stakeholders to boost consciousness and develop insurance policies geared toward stopping blindness from Glaucoma.
She urged all attendees to turn into advocates for Glaucoma consciousness, envisioning a future the place no Nigerian loses their sight to this preventable illness.“As a part of the ministry’s tasks to create consciousness and to formulate coverage and develop interventions to sort out this illness, now we have determined to name on all key stakeholders to return to this room, get to know what the ministry is doing to sort out this illness, and customarily encourage each one in every of us to be a campaigner for Glaucoma to make sure we protect imaginative and prescient for each single Nigerian,” she mentioned.
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