In its continued efforts to reduce cases of blindness in Nigeria, especially in disadvantaged communities, the African Blind & Restoration Foundation has carried out the first ever blindness awareness and prevention action program in the Ogba / Agege communities in Lagos.
Following a comprehensive educational session on basic eye car tips and blindness prevention strategies, comprehensive eye screening and eye pressure tests were carried out on over 200 people including children. The eye care specialists from Hephziboh Eye Care, carried out a systematic step by step assessment of all the patience.
The Hephziboh Eye Care team noted that, though a good number of people are born blind, thousands of Nigerians go blind because of a lack of awareness and delay in taking easily preventable measures. “Though poverty plays a big role in this unfortunate development, it is not restricted to the poverty class alone. “Millions of Nigerians are still in the dark on how to take great care of the eye. Eyes are so easily taken for granted,” Dr Olabisi noted.
The awareness and free treatment program was fully funded by the African Blind Foundation and supported by leading Nigerian PR agency, JSP Communications.
Speaking at the event, the Program Coordinator and member of the Board of the African Blind & Restoration Foundation, Mrs Folasade Shofu restated the determination of the Foundation to take this campaign to as many places as possible until preventable blindness becomes part of our health eco-system. “Next year, we will be carrying out this program in a number of high-density areas in Lagos, as part of a national roll out campaign by the Foundation.
The African Blind & Restoration Foundation, is a leading blindness prevention NGO in Nigeria, with Prince Bimbo Olashore as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Since it’s inception, it has offered educational scholarships entrepreneurial assistance, medical intervention, surgery funding and moral support to a great number of people with vision loss.
