At least 24 million Nigerians are currently living with sight loss, the Vice Chancellor of the David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Uburu, Prof. Jesse Uneke, has revealed.
The vice chancellor disclosed this during a press engagement at the unveiling of the university’s free eye care initiative and eye research programme held at the institution.
Citing findings from the Nigeria National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey, he said about 4.2% of Nigerians over 40 years old are blind, while an estimated 4.25 million adults aged 40 and above suffer from moderate to severe visual impairment.
The vice chancellor noted that 84% of blindness in Nigeria is due to preventable causes, stressing the need for regular eye checks, public awareness, and affordable treatment.
“Blindness in Nigeria is associated with increasing age, being female, and poor literacy. Sadly, 84% of blindness cases are due to avoidable causes,” he explained.
Prof. Uneke noted that cataracts and uncorrected refractive errors are the leading causes of visual impairment in the country, but conditions such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, infectious eye diseases, and trauma also pose significant challenges.
The vice chancellor stressed 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, he said DUFUHS, with support from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), had established an ultra-modern eye centre and a state-of-the-art facility for research, training, and patient care.
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He said that through its free eye care initiative, the university has already provided free treatment to 2,412 patients since February 2025, including over 1,300 people with refractive errors and more than 600 with cataracts, while distributing 1,000 eyeglasses.
He noted that the programme was part of university’s mandate on research, training, and community development
According to him, the facility, supported by the TETFund was established to address Nigeria’s rising burden of visual impairment and blindness, which currently affects an estimated 24 million people.
He emphasized that the centre operates with a multi-disciplinary team of ophthalmologists, optometrists, nurses, biomedical engineers, and ICT experts working to improve access to eye care, especially for rural dwellers in Ebonyi State and beyond.
He added that the centre aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) SPECS 2030 initiative, which seeks to expand access to quality, affordable refractive error services globally.
