The Federal Medical Centre, Jabi in Abuja, on Thursday commenced eye screening for children in Kuchingiro community in Abuja to commemorate 2024 World Sight Day.
Dr Maryam Abdullahi, the Head, Department of Opthalmology of the centre, told newsmen during the exercise in Abuja that the centre would donate eye glasses to 100 indigent children in the community.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the global observance is annually marked on the second Thursday of October to draw attention to blindness and vision impairment.
Originally initiated by the SightFirstCampaign of Lions Club International Foundation in 2000, the 2024 edition has the theme: ”Children Love Your Sights.”
Abdullahi, therefore, said that the 2024 celebration aims to sensitise the society on proper eye care for children.
She added that children within ages five and 17 years would be considered for the screening and glasses.
According to her, eye care for children cannot be overemphasised, because ideally, every child should have an eye examination at school age.
She added that “for this year’s event, we are targeting underprivileged and underserved children in communities.
“These children are close to our facility, where we give services, but the chances of them coming to us to access this care is slim.
“We are here to give free services. Our target is to screen a minimum of 600 children, and we are going to offer 100 glasses free to those in need.”
Abdullahi encouraged well-meaning Nigerians to take up the responsibility of caring for school children, especially as it relates to their sight.
“They (school children) should have had their first eye examination at school age, which is usually three years in Nigeria, which is the standard as a country.
“In other countries, this is already something that is done all the time, but here, we do not have that kind of facility.
“So, we are advocating for child eye health, we are calling for the availability, accessibility and affordability of eye care for all children in Nigeria.
“It does not matter if the children are privileged or underprivileged, it is the right of every child to have this care,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Dickson Habakuk, thanked the organiser for providing the students with eye glasses, adding that such gestures should be taken to difficult terrain for the underprivileged to benefit. (NAN)