The David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences (DUFUHS), Uburu, Ebonyi State, says no fewer than 24 million Nigerians are currently living with sight loss.
The Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Jesse Uneke, disclosed this during a media engagement on the activities of the university’s Ultramodern Eye Centre and Institute for Eye Health and Visual Sciences Research (Invest), held on Thursday in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area.
Citing findings from the Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey, Uneke explained that about 4.2 per cent of Nigerians aged 40 years and above are blind, while an estimated 4.25 million adults in the same age bracket suffer from moderate to severe visual impairment.
“Eighty-four per cent of blindness in Nigeria is due to preventable causes, stressing the need for regular eye checks, public awareness, and affordable treatment,” he said.
The don further noted that blindness in Nigeria is strongly associated with increasing age, being female, and poor literacy, adding that cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors are the leading causes of sight loss in the country.
He, however, warned that conditions such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, infectious eye diseases, and trauma also contribute significantly to the problem.
Uneke lamented that limited access to basic eye care in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria worsens the burden of sight loss, particularly for rural dwellers.
“To address the crisis, our university, with support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), has established the Ultramodern Eye Centre and IEHVSR — a state-of-the-art facility for research, training, and patient care,” he said.
Highlighting the school’s efforts, the VC revealed that through its Free Eye Care Initiative, DUFUHS has provided free treatment to 2,412 patients since February 2025.
“These include over 1,300 people with refractive errors, more than 600 with cataracts, 168 with glaucoma, and 265 with other conditions. We have also distributed 400 reading glasses and 600 prescription glasses at no cost,” he added.
According to him, the beneficiaries comprised 918 men, 1,302 women, and 192 children.
Uneke stressed that the facility, supported by TETFund, was established to help reduce avoidable blindness in Nigeria while serving as a platform for research, training, and patient care.
