The Lagos State Government has created the High School Eye Health Program to help pupils with vision impairment and blind eye disorders.
The program, which began on Tuesday at Oregun Junior High School in Ikeja, is a state government endeavor to lessen the prevalence of childhood blindness in the state through its blindness prevention program.
At the launch, state Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi explained that the program consists of four major components: teacher training on vision screening, installation of vision screening boards, equipping all high schools with vision screening kits, and referral of students with eye conditions by the blindness prevention team.
Uncorrected refractive errors and cataracts, according to the commissioner, are the major causes of vision impairment and blindness, and they can impede performance, productivity, and overall quality of life.
“If not corrected, or if the correction is insufficient, refractive error is one of the leading causes of poor vision and even blindness. Proper eyeglass correction, on the other hand, is one of the most cost-effective therapies in eye health care,” he stated.
Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, stated that the school eye health program was established in 2006 to provide eye tests for elementary school kids.
