The Lagos State government has announced its intention to establish a dedicated ophthalmic specialist center within one of its general hospitals to enhance the treatment of patients with eye-related conditions.
Professor Akin Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health, disclosed this development during the fourth Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the Africa Retina Society in Lagos, held on Thursday. The conference revolved around the theme, ‘Upscaling Retinal Services in a Resource-Constrained Economy ‘.
Abayomi highlighted that the new center would offer top-tier diagnostic, medical, surgical, and ophthalmic services in Lagos and throughout Nigeria.
Emphasizing the importance of eye health, he mentioned that the government is actively working on bolstering the screening capabilities of all primary healthcare facilities in the state to facilitate early detection of eye disorders.
“The conditions that affect the eyes very much reflect the conditions of the community in which you live. HIV, for example, was a major problem in South Africa, and I certainly experienced the impact of HIV on our day-to-day medicine and practice.
“Here in Nigeria, we have other things. We have hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell, and lots of trauma. These are the kinds of things that we see in our clinics here in Lagos and in Nigeria.
“We need to be able to understand how these prevailing conditions really affect us,” he stated.
The commissioner also mentioned ongoing initiatives to enhance eye screenings, particularly within schools, starting with training teachers to identify students experiencing vision difficulties.
He indicated that the state intends to utilize social health insurance to conduct screenings, detect eye conditions, and provide treatment for patients visiting health facilities.
Furthermore, the commissioner emphasized the state’s commitment to raising public awareness and knowledge regarding eye health, with a specific focus on conditions like glaucoma and visual acuity.
Abayomi revealed that the state government, in collaboration with the Chagoury Group, is working on establishing a specialized eye hospital in Lagos to expand access to eye care services.
Recognizing the equipment-intensive nature of ophthalmology, he underscored the government’s dedication to investing in both equipment and human resources to enable practitioners to deliver accurate diagnoses and treatments, thus reducing the need for medical tourism.
During the event, Professor Linda Visser, the Head of the Ophthalmology Division at Stellenbosch University in South Africa, urged policymakers to develop policies that integrate eye screenings into diabetes management at the primary healthcare level.
She noted the rising prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among Africans due to prolonged high blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes.
According to Visser, the International Diabetes Foundation reported a current global diabetic population of 537 million adults aged 20 to 79 years, projected to reach 1.3 billion in the next 50 years. The rise in type 2 diabetes prevalence, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, is a concerning trend that warrants attention.
“The high prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise worldwide and is particularly rapid in low- and middle-income countries.
“Most of these countries have limited availability and affordability of healthcare services for screening and treating diabetes-related complications, such as retinopathy, to prevent vision loss,” it mentioned.
Dr. Visser warned that all diabetes patients are vulnerable to developing Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), but those with uncontrolled blood sugar, high blood pressure, and hyperlipidemia are at highest risk.
She stressed that early detection enables prompt treatment, preventing up to 95% of related vision loss and blindness. Dr. Seneadza, Chairman of the Africa Retina Society, echoed the importance of timely and advanced retinal care, particularly in the face of continental healthcare challenges.
