The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to preventing avoidable blindness and strengthening inclusive eye health services across Nigeria.

Deputy health minister Iziaq  Salako stated this on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of SightQuest Nigeria, a 10-year eye health programme by the Christian Blind Mission International.

Mr Salako said the programme would initially be implemented in five states and later scaled up to 14 states of the federation, in line with the government’s drive to achieve universal health coverage.

He disclosed that Nigeria’s blindness prevalence stands  at 0.78 per cent, with about 84 per cent of cases caused by treatable or preventable conditions.

The minister listed some of the conditions as cataract, glaucoma, refractive errors, corneal opacities, trachoma, onchocerciasis, and emerging conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.

According to him, lack of awareness and poor access to essential eye care services have contributed significantly to visual impairment, forcing many Nigerians to seek unorthodox treatments that often result in severe complications.

“Individuals with impaired vision often face difficulties in performing daily tasks, which affects their productivity and contribution to national economic growth,” he said.

He noted that preventing blindness was critical to achieving developmental and economic goals, adding that vision loss alone costs the global economy, including Nigeria, about 411 billion dollars annually.

Mr Salako said studies had shown that every dollar invested in cost-effective eye care interventions yielded a return of $28.

The minister said the government’s commitment to eye health was reflected in key policy frameworks, including the National Eye Health Policy adopted in 2019 and the National Eye Health Strategic Development Plan (2024–2028), currently being implemented nationwide.

He added that the policies aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and provided a roadmap for delivering eye care services to all Nigerians.

Mr Salako also disclosed that President Tinubu had approved the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative Nigeria, also known as JigiBola 2.0, with implementation ongoing in 15 states.

He said that the initiative aimed to distribute five million free reading glasses over four years, while integrating primary eye care into primary health care services.

“The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is also poised to provide at least 25,000 free cataract surgeries by the end of 2027,” he said.

The minister commended CBM International and its donors for supporting government efforts to improve access to cataract surgery, quality spectacles, eye health infrastructure and human resource capacity.

He said the SightQuest Nigeria Programme would advance the country’s progress toward meeting global eye health and disability inclusion targets by 2030.

Salako further reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to health sector reforms under the Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative, calling on stakeholders to support their full implementation.

He said global institutions such as the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, and the Africa CDC had acknowledged Nigeria’s health reform efforts, but stressed the need for sustained collaboration to achieve system-wide impact.

(NAN)