An ophthalmologist, Dr Francis Arogundade, on Friday, advised Nigerians to desist from self- medication in the treatment of eye infections or defects.
Arogundade gave the advice during a free eye screening and examination drive by Zonta Club of Ibadan in collaboration with the Eleta Eye Institute, in Ibadan.
He described self-medication as an harmful practice which contributes significantly to the rate of blindness and ocular morbidity among Nigerians.
The ophthalmologist advised people to go for eye checks by trained professionals for early detection of eye diseases like glaucoma.
“It is important to go for regular eye checks by trained professionals, so that changes in the eyes or vision can be detected early.
“For example, glaucoma which causes damage to the eye optic nerve can go undetected without an eye check and this can result in irreversible blindness.
“Permanent vision loss from glaucoma can be prevented with early detection and treatment,” he said.
The president of the club, Dr Olajumoke Akere, said that the eye outreach was organised due to the desire to help people with limited access to quality and timely eye checks.
Akere said that about 200 persons, including women and young people, benefited from the philanthropic initiative.
She said that it was a worthy cause to help to reduce the burden of preventable blindness in the society.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the exercise involved free eye screening, free drugs and free surgical procedures for beneficiaries.
(NAN).
