Bukola Afeni
The Chief Medical Director, University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, Professor Abiodun Otegbayo said one in every 40 Nigerians may go blind due to Glaucoma negligence.
He made the disclosure at the World Glaucoma Week celebration day in Abuja.
The Chief Medical Director said it is important to manage and treat glaucoma disease as it can cause damage to many patients.
“Glaucoma mostly affects adults older than 30 years. We are urging Nigerians to go for regular screening, as prevention is cheaper and better than cure”, he said.
The Head of Opthalmology, UCH, Ibadan, Dr. Olusola Olawoye, highlighted that Glaucoma can lead to loss of vision, if it is not diagnosed and treated early.
“The earlier the diagnosis of Glaucoma, the more vision there is to save and the less likely the person is to become blind, she counselled. We are offering free screening program on Thursday”,she said.
Dr Olawoye added that the aim of the glaucoma week is to raise awareness on eye treatment and ways of preventing total blindness.
Glaucoma is a chronic, progressive eye disease caused by damage to the optic nerve, which leads to blindness. It usually gives no warning until it is advanced in the body.
It does not usually have any symptoms as it tends to develop slowly over many years and affects the edges of the vision first. It can only be detected during normal routine test.
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