Over one million Nigerians are blind- Ophthalmological Society

The Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) said on Friday in Jos that no fewer than one million Nigerians suffer from one form of blindness or the other.

According to Prof. Sabastin Nwosu, OSN President, the figure was based on a research conducted in 2008.

Nwosu, who read a communiqué issued at OSN general and scientific conference in Jos, said that 50 per cent of the number were caused by cataract alone.

He said that glaucoma, and several other factors were responsible for the remaining 50 per cent.

The OSN president said that three million Nigerians suffer partial blindness, a situation that could be corrected if proper treatment was done.

He revealed that 42 out of every 1,000 Nigerians are blind, pointing out that the distribution varied from one geographical area of the country to the other.

While cataract is age related, genetic factors, as well as human life styles, also result to blindness in some cases, he said.

Nwosu said that this year’s theme of the conference, `Building Partnership for Eye Care’ was strategic in placing and repositioning eye care.

He said that partnership was strategic in placing and repositioning eye care in the front burner in respect of the priority agenda of both Government and the NGO,s.

The OSN president said that the body had developed an alliance with the media to gain a platform to raise public awareness on the problem of visual disability, with a view to alleviating the problems.