In an effort to promote comprehensive eye health, emphasis has been placed on the importance of routine blood pressure check and fasting blood sugar tests.
Stating the necessity of integrating these tests into primary health care services to ensure accessibility and affordability for all Nigerians, Doctor of Optometry/CEO at Visionvogue, Dr. Chimeziri Anderson, said the call cannot be over-emphasized.
Anderson spoke in Abuja during a rally held on the World Sight Day celebrations held recently.
He noted that the services offered by Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) must be with collaborations with relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Health, Primary Health Care Development Agency, HMOs and the Nigerian Health Insurance Authority.
He said their collaborations would successfully help implement these initiatives.
Anderson, a community eye health epidemiologist, also stressed the theme of this year’s celebration: ‘Love Your Eyes at Work,’ saying it underscores the importance of fostering a culture of love and care for individual eyes.
He encouraged Nigerians to prioritize regular eye checkups, practice eye safety, and adopt healthy lifestyles while spreading awareness about the significance of eye health.
He further stressed on the need to engage with policymakers and community leaders to secure more funding for eye care and deploy ophthalmologists to underserved regions.
Anderson noted that World Sight Day is observed annually on October 12 to provide a global platform, not only to emphasize the importance of eye health, but to ensure that stakeholders will not only improve eye health; but to also contribute to the overall well-being, and aligning with their shared goal of providing comprehensive healthcare to all citizens.
In addition to advocating for routine testing, the NOA emphasized the need to work closely with the Standards Organization of Nigeria (NOA), to uphold internationally acceptable standards, ensure high quality optical lenses, tools and equipment imported into the country to safeguard visual health and safety benchmarks for optical products in the country.
