10/02/2022
Lagos Launches School Eye Health Programme
The Lagos State Government Under the leadership of Governor Sanwo-Olu , on Tuesday, launched the Eye Health Programme for secondary schools across the state in a bid to crack down the number of students living with visual impairment.
According to a Facebook post shared by the Lagos Ministry of Health. The maiden edition of the programme took place at the Oregun Junior High School,Ikeja.
Speaking at the programme, the State commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, noted that the secondary school eye health programme is one of the strategies of the state government, though its blindness prevention programme to reduce the burden of childhood blindness in Lagos.
He added: “ We are introducing this programme because eye sight and hearing are one of the most important senses that we can have. Without the good eye sight and good hearing there is no way you can understand what is going on in your school.
And therefore,it is important that we give every child a chance because if a child cannot see or hear , we are robbing the community of the benefits of that child. We are here to change the lives of students with eye defects so that they can harness their potential and become the best at what they do.”
The Background of the Eye Health Programme
The Permanent Secretary,Lagos State Ministry of Health,Dr. Olusegun Ogboye revealed that the school Eye Health Programme was launched in the year 2006 and the event was held in primary schools on an IBILE basis to carry out eye screening for the pupils. The main focus of the programme was expanded in 2012 to include training of teachers and installation of vision screening boards in all State Primary Schools.
Dr.Ogboye affirmed that, in recent times, the Primary School Eye Health Programme has reached out to 235,515 pupils and 2,178 of these pupils have been given eye glasses. The total number of teachers that have been trained on Eye screening stand at 2002.