THE Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, in marking his 80th birthday, sponsored a five-day eye camp with over 1,500 people in attendance for eye screening and treatment.
At the eye camp, 100 people benefitted from free cataract surgeries, while 480 pairs of reading glasses were distributed at an event which took place at Centenary Hall, Ake, in Abeokuta and Akef Maghraby Eye Clinic, Eruwa, an annex of Eleta Eye Institute.
Mr Francis Alalade, the administrative officer of Akef Maghraby Eye Clinic, stated that the prominent eye problems attended to during the eye camps were cataract, glaucoma, pterygium, allergic conjunctivitis and refractive errors.
He declared that the 256 children tested during the five-day eye camp mostly had refractive errors and allergic conjunctivitis.
Mr Alalade said many people with end-stage glaucoma who cannot be helped to see again came for the exercise, as he urged Nigerians above 40 years to have yearly eye tests, to ensure early detection of eye problems and appropriate treatment to prevent blindness.
He stated that the habit of putting urine, naphthalene, onion, garlic and unprescribed eye drops in the eye when there are problems is a dangerous eye practice that needs to stop.
“Anyone over 40 should check his or her eyes at least yearly, in order to be able to arrest the progression of diseases like glaucoma, an irreversible cause of blindness. A lot of people that we saw during the eye screening exercise in Abeokuta had end-stage glaucoma, and there is nothing we can do to help them see again at that stage.
“Many also do self-medication when they have eye problems; some put urine, salt, naphthalene, onion and even go to the pharmacy, where they are given just any eye drop without knowing exactly the cause of the eye problem. These are common dangerous eye practices that can lead to blindness.”
Dr Gboyega Ajayi, the group medical director of Eleta Eye Institute, in a remark, said Oba Gbadebo’s reason for hosting eye camps to celebrate his birthday and other occasions was to remember the common people and bring happiness to them.
Ajayi, a consultant ophthalmologist, described glaucoma as a terrible eye disease that creeps silently, even unaware and is a cause of reversible blindness.
“It is a quiet disease that gives no signs or symptoms. By the time you start to have symptoms, which mean that your vision is getting poorer on account of it, it means that the disease is advanced. That is what makes it a headache for doctors.
“Sadly, when they come forward, they don’t listen to eye doctors because they didn’t come forward because of glaucoma. They had come forward because they have problems seeing well, and there is no pain or discomfort.
“So, they don’t think that they should pay attention to glaucoma. They assume all is well, even though the eye is getting worse. That is the major challenge.”
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