Over 1Billion People Affected by Presbyopia Worldwide – Expert

On Oct 9, 2023

An optometrist, Dr. Tochukwu Onwuzulike, said Presbyopia is an eye disorder that affects no fewer than 1 billion persons worldwide.

The eye specialist with Vision Spring, a non-governmental organisation, disclosed this in Abuja at the inauguration of the free eye care exercise at Apo resettlement, FCT.

Presbyopia is an eye condition in which the eye slowly loses the ability to focus quickly on objects that are close up.

Onwuzulike, who is also a business development specialist said, “Among the 1 billion people affected by the condition, no fewer than 500 million are visually impaired because they lack access to reading glasses.
“The NGOs is concerned that no fewer than 2 million Nigerians are visually impaired.”

The optometrist said that such a figure was scary and that it was a huge problem that needed to be tackled on time.

The eye specialist urged people to imbibe the habit of taking care of their eyes and to go for tests when necessary.

He said, “This occasion is highly significant because it deals with a very big and global problem which is eye care. Eye care has been found to be instrumental to productivity, eye care boosts people’s livelihood.

“Eye care boosts the quality of life and even to a large extent, mental health. It is very crucial for us to address the eye care needs of millions of Nigerians.

“Presbyopia is a global problem all over the world. About a billion people are affected by presbyopia; among these 1 billion people, no fewer than 500 million are visually impaired all because they lack access to reading glasses.

“It is a very good thing that the Act Foundation, Eye Care Aid Foundation and Vision Spring have come together with the support of Abuja Municipal Area Council and the health authority of the FCT to come carry out this screening.

“We are determined to see that 20, 000 persons are screened and distribution of 10, 000 eyeglasses absolutely free in the FCT,” he said.

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, Eye Care Aid Foundation, Dr. Adesuwa Agbontaen, said that the project was going to run until June 2024, and would go around all the communities in the FCT.

“Today we are flagging off our project, the Eye Care Aid project for residents of FCT, giving eye care services, eye tests and giving them free reading glasses, we are doing this for 20, 000 persons in the FCT.

“Our mandate is to distribute 10,000 glasses; we are going to run this project up till June 2024. We are going around all the communities in the FCT, from one place to another.

“Eye problems will not show up but until you see the doctor you will know you have a certain problem. If you don’t see doctors, you won’t notice certain eye problems, certain eye problems are hidden.

“We are creating awareness with this exercise. We know that World Sight Day is coming up on October 12. This exercise is also meant to commemorate vision care for that day and also to talk about eye care issues,’’ he said.

The Head of Information and Public Relations, AMAC, Mr. Emeka Mbanusi, thanked the organisers of the eye screening exercise, adding that AMAC was only partnering to give them direction with regards to where to carry out the exercise in the FCT.

He said that the AMAC Chairman, Mr. Christopher Maikalañgu, had done so much for the residents of the area council in terms of medical care both for children, mothers and the elderly.

Mbanusi said AMAC was paying counterpart funding for polio eradication and other routine immunisation in order to ensure that children under five years receive treatment.

According to him, AMAC has done free medical care in many communities in FCT, where it gives malaria drugs free of charge, and albendazole to deworm children.