By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
The Kwara Government in collaboration with the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Sightsavers on Thursday in Ilorin screened the eyes of 300 civil servants and students.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this is part of the activities organised to commemorate the 2025 World Sight Day celebrated globally.
The theme of the day is entitled: “Love Your Eyes”.
In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Kwara Ministry of Health Dr Abdullahi Taoheed explained that the World Sight Day is a global event dedicated to raising awareness about eye health and the importance of preserving our precious gift of sight.
He pointed out that the 2025 theme, “Love Your Eyes,’ calls for people to recognise the vital role our eyes play in our daily lives and to take proactive steps to protect them.
According to him, good vision is fundamental to our well-being, education, employment opportunity, productivity, and independence.
“Yet, millions worldwide-including many in Nigeria-are living with preventable vision impairment and blindness. This is not just a health issue; it affects families, communities and development,” he said.
Taoheed observed that eye health faces new challenges due to aging populations, unhealthy lifestyles and environmental factors.
He also listed inadequate knowledge of good eye health practices, low awareness, sedentary lifestyles, and an increase in non-communicable disease resulting in an increase in preventable vision impairment and blindness such as refractive errors and cataracts.
The perm-sec noted that the State has expanded access to eye care services, adding that Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and specialized eye clinics offer screenings, treatment for common eye conditions, and sight-saving surgeries.
Also speaking, Dr Bolarinwa Tota, a Consultant Community Ophthalmologist, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) lamented that many people go blind from neglect, and what could be avoidable.
Quoting the World Health Organization (WHO), she explained that over 1.1 million people are blind globally.
“From this estimate, 90 percent of them are in developing countries and about 75 percent are blind from preventable causes.
Tota emphasised the importance of marking the World Sight Day, as it aims to sensitize people on the common causes of visual impairment and blindness and how to prevent them.
The expert in eyecare appealed to people in the state to prioritize their health and screen their eyes, saying that the eyes are the window to the body.
She added that Sightsavers in collaboration with ministry of health are conducting screening for 300 civil servants and secondary school students.
