Hottestgistnaija.com
Delta State Governor, Dr.
> Emmanuel Uduaghan on Wednesday decried
> rising incidence of blindness caused by cataract and
> challenged
> ophthalmologists in the country to take measures to halt the
> trend.
>
>
>
> Uduaghan,
> declaring open the 38th Annual General Meeting/Scientific
> Conference of the
> Ophthalmological Society of Nigeria (OSN) in Asaba, wondered
> why preventable
> blindness due to cataract was still on the rise.
>
>
>
> The Governor
> who was represented by his deputy, Prof. Amos Utuama, SAN,
> informed that
> “statistics by WHO indicate that ninety percent of
> blind people live in
> the developing countries of the world.
>
>
>
> “Of
> these, sixty five per cent are caused by cataract. This
> represents twenty two
> million people afflicted worldwide. Glaucoma is responsible
> for blindness in
> six million people, while onchocerciasis and leprosy each
> blind approximately
> one million people worldwide.”
>
>
>
> Uduaghan
> noted, ” these data are indications of the huge
> challenges that lie ahead
> of …practising ophthalmologists,” lamenting,
> “Cataract is a cause
> of preventable blindness, but it is still regrettably
> responsible for the
> highest causes of blindness in our society.
>
>
>
> “This
> should not be acceptable to us as members of the medical
> profession, especially
> for members of the Ophthalmological Society of
> Nigeria.”
>
>
>
> He
> informed that the Delta State Government has embarked on a
> number of campaigns
> against the scourge of blindness, adding, ” treatment
> of ocular diseases,
> especially cataract, is one of the areas of emphasis in the
> Free Rural Health
> Scheme of Delta State.”
>
>
>
> Uduaghan
> commended the commitment of the OSN to improving eye health
> of Nigerians but
> noted that more efforts should be deployed in the crusade
> against blindnes
