Anambra State Eye Care Centre Nise Begins Operations—No Fewer Than 100 Residents Benefits From Free Eye Care
By Chukwudi Nwauba/Ebele Egoh
Anambra State Eye Care Centre, Nise, has commenced operations.
Head, Anambra State Eye Care Centre, Ikenna Mbakigwe, who disclosed this to newsmen, said as no fewer than 100 residents have benefitted from the State Government’s free eyes screening and cataract surgeries.
Dr Mbakigwe pointed out that the establishment of the eye Centre would be of immense benefit to the public.
He said that they have carried out free eye screenings for no fewer than 100 residents to launch the centre, adding that the new eye centre is the first, and only state government-owned eye care Center in the state.
According to him, out of the 100 patients, 11 were confirmed to have cataract, and that five were selected and found eligible for free surgeries.
Dr. Mbakigwe described Cataract as an age related ailment of the eye which is the leading cause of blindness in the state and the country. “There is a lens that God has put in the eyes and as you get older, the lens becomes cloudy. The cloudiness is what we call cataract”.
“Cataract increases with age, which is why as some persons grow older, they do not see clearly. When that happens, you need to remove the lens via surgery. So, cataract is treatable to avoid blindness.
“Glaucoma which is another common eye disease, causes irreversible blindness, but if caught early, with regular eyes check, the progression could be delayed”, he said.
The medical expert explained that too much exposure to sunlight, diabetes and trauma to the eyes, are some of the factors that could cause or hasten cataract formation.
Dr. Mbakigwe advised the public to prioritize their eyes health by visiting the facility for regular eye screening, at least once, a year.
“The eyes are a very important organ which has the capacity to withstand problems. If you do not come to check your eyes regularly, by the time it starts manifesting the problem, it means it can no longer bear the problem and it is about to give up.
So, you do not have to wait until you start having serious eye problems before you go for a checkup”, he advised.
Contributing, the State Hospital Administrator, Dr. Innocent Umeakunne, said that the surgery which is sponsored by the state government was to create awareness to the public that such a facility is in existence in the state.
“This is the only administration that thought it wise to establish a state-owned eye centre to cater for the masses. The free eye surgery is a good start to announce to everyone that the facility is open 24 hours to render eye services to all.
“Doctors are always available to give in their best, to make sure that anyone that visits the hospital will receive adequate attention”.
He urged the public to utilize the golden opportunity that will save them from traveling to far places to seek eye care.
Some of the services rendered in the Eye Care Centre include; visual acuity assessment, intraocular pressure measurements, dispensing of all types of optical spectacles and visual field assessment/ evaluation of glaucoma
Others are; Pterygium Excision, Cataract Surgeries, Glaucoma Surgeries and Removal of Ocular masses. (MOI)
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