14,000 Niger residents blind from cataracts, 5,000 new cases recorded annually

About 14,000 radical successful Niger State are presently unsighted from cataracts, with an estimated 5,000 caller cases added to the backlog annually, the Niger State Ministry of Health has disclosed.

Dr Halima Isah Umar, Chairman of the Niger State Eye Care Programme and Head of the Eye Centre, General Hospital, Minna, disclosed this connected Thursday astatine a property briefing successful Minna to people the 2026 World Sight Day, observed annually connected October 8.

Umar, a Consultant Ophthalmologist, said cataract remained the commonest origin of blindness successful the state, accounting for astir 50 to 60 per cent of blindness cases.

She said the 14,000 fig represented radical already unsighted from cataracts who had yet to person treatment, portion the yearly summation was mostly linked to ageing.

According to her, deficiency of awareness, the outgo of country and constricted entree to eye-care services were among the large barriers keeping patients from treatment.

Umar said the existent involution was targeted chiefly astatine indigent patients, with betwixt 30 and 50 radical expected to benefit, portion a larger task planned by the authorities would people astir 1,000 beneficiaries.

She said patients with non-surgical conditions would person escaped attraction for infections, glaucoma and allergies, arsenic good arsenic speechmaking glasses, wh...