Health
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Urges Nigerians To Prioritise Regular Eye Examinations
A Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, Prof. Nkiru Kizor-Akwaraiwe, has urged Nigerians to prioritise regular eye examinations, warning that some sight-threatening conditions can develop silently without noticeable symptoms.
Kizor-Akaraiwe stated this on Thursday in Enugu in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to commemorate the 2026 World Sight Day, with the theme, “Love Your Eyes.”
The ophthalmic surgeon, who is the owner of The Eye Specialist Hospital (TESH), said the theme was a call to action for people to take practical steps to protect their vision rather than merely expressing it.
She said the day was celebrated annually to create awareness about eye health, blindness prevention and available treatment options.
According to her, glaucoma and diabetes-related eye diseases are among conditions that can gradually damage vision without giving noticeable warning signs.
She warned that people should not assume that their eyes are healthy simply because they can see clearly, stressing that early detection could prevent severe visual impairment and blindness.
Kizor-Akaraiwe advised Nigerians, especially those above 40 years of age to eat healthy diets rich in fruits and vegetables, describing a variety of colourful foods as a rainbow diet that can support eye health.
She further urged people who spent long periods on computers and other digital devices to observe the 20-20-20 rule by taking a break every 20 minutes and looking at an object about 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
“World Sight Day is actually dedicated for creating awareness about eye health and causes of blindness, prevention and treatment.
“It is very important to make the public be aware of their eyes and their blinding eye conditions that do not even give you symptoms that they are there, and to encourage everyone to go have their eyes checked,” she said.
She called on welders and other workers exposed to flying particles or hazardous materials to always use protective goggles, warning that failure to use appropriate eye protection could result in serious injuries and, in some cases, permanent loss of vision.
“Early detection and treatment could save individuals and families from the much greater financial and social burden associated with advanced eye diseases.
“Let me use glaucoma as an example, if it is detected early, the treatment requires only one eye drop. But if the glaucoma is diagonised late, the patient will use four eye drops.
“Again, blindness can deprive individuals of their ability to work and earn an income and force family members to provide long-term care.
“Most times, children have their education and childhood disrupted because they are required to care for visually impaired parents or relatives,” Kizor-Akaraiwe added.
The surgeon called on the media and members of the public to intensify awareness campaigns on eye health, saying that prevention and early intervention remained critical to reducing avoidable blindness.
World Sight Day is observed annually on the second Thursday of October and is spearheaded globally by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness to promote awareness and action on avoidable blindness and vision impairment.(NAN)
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Maureen Atuonwu
