‘Self-medication, shunning eyes screening, can make you go blind’

By Henry Okonkwo

Dangerous habits among Nigerians such as self-medication, and shunning eyes screening, have identified as some of the biggest factors that continually fuel this rising spate of preventable blindness in Nigeria.

A team of expert ophthalmologists from the Skipper EyeQ Super Speciality Eye Hospitals made this disclosure to newsmen during the recent opening of the Lagos Mainland branch of their hospital in Ilupeju, Lagos metropolis.

Preventable eye infections like cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy are leading to causes of blindness in Nigeria. And according to the eye doctors, these blind-causing diseases are treatable and preventable if only they were detected on time.

They decried the high level of ignorance among Nigerians on issues bordering on vision health and emphasised to reduce the growing population of blind and visually impaired persons in Nigeria.” Self-medication is the most dangerous habits that I have noticed to be prevalent among Nigerians,” said Dr Temitope Tijani, Medical Director of the Skipper EyeQ Super Speciality Eye Hospital.

Tijani while expressing worry said many Nigerians claim to know a lot in treating eye ailments and then engage in harmful practices that could destroy their vision. “What people do is when they have red eyes they just assume that it’s Apollo (conjunctivitis).

“And the next thing they do is to go to the chemist to buy chloramphenicol. For the not so enlightened ones, they don’t buy chloramphenicol. Rather they carry out very dangerous local unhealthy practices like squeezing onion juice into their eyes or applying drops of urine into their eyes to treat Apollo. Patients must not self medicate because some conditions can go on its own, while some others need immediate early intervention for it to be adequately taken care of.”

Speaking on the importance of getting steady eye screening to prevent eye diseases and blindness, Dr Ranojit Basu, a specialist surgeon in pediatric ophthalmology, glaucoma and strabismus (crossed-eyes), complained that people delay coming to get their eyes checked, and prefer to wait till they begin to feel unwell before they go to the hospital. “It is sad that people don’t present their eye ailments to us at the right time. they come to us sometimes when the correction of that disorder is no longer possible. So i encourage people to come to see their doctors at the right time to prevent blindness. Our aim in Skipper EyeQ Super Speciality Eye Hospital is to achieve the target of preventable blindness. And our mission is to give a holistic treatment, and to be the foremost chain of eye hospitals providing the best services that are available.”

Lending her voice, Dr Zeenat Shah, a specialist in vitreo retina and cataract services, hinted that more efforts should be channelled towards raising awareness in the country. “In my three and a half years of practice here in Nigeria, I’ve seen many people come in at an advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy. It is sad because people almost go blind. But this retinopathy disease is very much preventable if only people come for screening at the early stage so that it doesn’t progress to the higher stage of the disease. So we in Skipper EyeQ are doing so much to raise awareness, and I’m happy because people are indeed beginning to realise the importance of early eye screening. But more awareness is needed.”