Sabon Tasha Community Receives free Glaucoma Treatment... "Provides Free Consultation And Administer Drugs And Lenses to The Community" -Capone (Dr) Okpara Obinna

ZAKARI ISAH - KADUNA 

No fewer than 1,200 people in Saunin Kura Community, Sabon Tasha of Chikun Local Government Area in Kaduna State have received free eye screening for glaucoma and provide glasses to mark World Sight Day, 2023.

The humanitarian gesture, which was designed to provide quality eye care for the people in the community, was sponsored by the Kaduna State National Association of Seadogs (NAS).

Speaking to Journalists at the venue of the screening, the President of NAS, Capone of Aurora Fotula Deck Kaduna Chapter, Dr Okpara Obinna, said to mark World Sight Day, NAS Kaduna Chapter took it upon itself to give free consultation and administer drugs and lenses to the community.

"So what we decided to do is to pick out glaucoma and detect early glaucoma because blindness starts with glaucoma. If it’s not detected early, it would lead to permanent blindness".

He called for constant community education, awareness, and screening to address the disease in the state.

"We are actually working with the Rotary Club in Kaduna, Eko Atlantic club which I’m also part of. We are also working with an Indian firm that has done some surgeries, but that will come out after this primary exercise. Also, the Local Government I’ve mentioned by the time we go there, we would identify people that would need surgery.”

"So the Kaduna State Chapter of the National Association of Seadogs and the Eko Atlantic Rotary Club with a hospital in India, Qitmeer Foundation, we would be able to do surgery in National Hospital here in Kaduna. We also have consultants from the National Hospital Kaduna. They came for free of charge because it’s something worth doing. They want to join and partner with us“.

He therefore called on the beneficiaries who met with the consultants to take the advice on how to take care of their eyes seriously and get across to the hospital for early detection of glaucoma.

Fielding questions, the lead ophthalmologist, Dr Nnamdi Eneh of the National Eye Centre, said the mission was part of their celebrating World Sight Day which was observed every second Thursday in October.

He said,” This year’s World Sight Day is about the eyes at work, So for us in the National Association of Seadogs, part of our activities is to create awareness and to get involved in humanitarian activities.”

“This year we have decided to look at a very important eye condition which is glaucoma. Worldwide 2 disease conditions cause blindness. Cataract and glaucoma. The difference is glaucoma causes irreversible blindness and that’s why they call it the silent thief of sight .”

He explained that most patients never knew they had glaucoma until it became severe, which most times led to blindness.

Dr Nnamdi said it was key to detect the disease on time so that treatment could be instituted on time so that blindness could be prevented.

So that’s why we are targeting glaucoma as our activity to celebrate World Sight Day this year 2023,” he said.

He explained that they wanted to create awareness so that people would take care of their eyes, and have mobilized a team of specialists in different fields related to eyesight who would examine the locals, provide them with drugs and glasses, and refer those who may require further treatment to the National Eye Centre or other specialist hospitals.