Stakeholders call for unified force on eye health at health app launch

Experts at the launch of an app, Visual Health Detective (VHD) application have stressed the need for a unified force to push for eye health agenda and prevent cases of avoidable blindness in Nigeria.

It was at the formal launch of the Partnership for Sight Initiative of Nigeria (PASSION) and the presentation of the Vision Health Detective App by the Centre for Eye Health and Innovation of the Eleta Eye Institute, Ibadan.

At the occasion were dignitaries, including Architect Bamidele Samson, Professor  Charles Aworh, Most Reverend Dr Felix Alaba Job and Dr Oladipo Sule and Professor Charles Bekibele among others.

In her speech, Dr Henrietta Monye stated that PASSION had become important because of the high burden of blindness in Nigeria, 80 per cent of which can be prevented, poor awareness and access to eye care and depletion of the eye health workforce in Nigeria due to brain drain.

Dr Monye stated that Nigeria currently has less than 500 eye doctors to cater for its over 200 million people, thus a need for such interventions as the app to ensure Nigerians are not denied access to eye care services.

According to her, “In Nigeria, one in every 20 persons is blind and 80 per cent of these are avoidable. Different people have eye problems; a lot of eye problems are insidious. Take glaucoma, the silent thief of sight, for example, by the time you are not seeing well or tripping when walking, it is already advanced. But if they had been diagnosed three years before, for instance, the blindness could have been prevented.

“So, PASSION is inviting people to become eye health advocates, create awareness about eye health and move the eye health agenda forward. The Vision Health Detective App is going to revolutionise the way eye health is being run in the country.”

Dr Sarah Abraham, in her presentation on the benefits of PASSION, said  overall, it will ensure that everyone in the community has an eye examination done at least once a year, increase awareness of the importance of eye care and ensure changes in policy, attitude and practices that hinder the avoidance of blindness.

In his presentation, Mr Lekan Magbagbeola said the app allows individuals to self-screen their eye using a smartphone  for visual acuity, contrast vision and surround vision from the comfort of their locations by following a sequence of simple-to-understand steps.

Earlier, Chairman of Eleta Eye Foundation, Dr Gboyega Ajayi said PASSION will drive innovations in eye care and the app is only the first in such innovations in the course of PASSION’s goal of preventing blindness and restoring sight to the blind.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Ibadan Archdiocese and proprietor of Elete Eye Institute, Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin described the app as good and urged the institute to continue to strive for better health care for all.