2025 WORLD SIGHT DAY: FCTA TO DISPENSE 50,000 GLASSES TO RESIDENTS

By Khadijat Kawunda and Doris Jonah

To mark the 2025 World Sight Day, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), in collaboration with Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), will dispense 50,000 glasses across the six Area Councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

This was disclosed by the Mandate Secretary, FCT Health Services and Environment Secretariat (HSES), Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, at the official flag-off ceremony of the 2025 World Sight Day held at FCTA premises in Area 11, Garki-Abuja, with the theme: “Love your Eyes, Access To Eye Care for All”.

To flag off the event, the Mandate Secretary, who was represented by the Acting Director of Nursing Services, Mrs Ijeoma Jimi Bada, said that “FCTA through the Public Health Department (PHD) Eye Care Unit in collaboration with CHAI will implement the Effective Spectacle Coverage Initiative of Nigeria (ESCIN) which is an initiative of President Bola Tinubu to distribute 5 million pairs of reading glasses in Nigeria out of which FCT targets 50,000 persons”.

According to Fasawe, research has shown that ” individuals with impaired vision have difficulty with performance of daily tasks at home and in work place as such, ESCIN seeks to address issues of vision loss from refractive errors that can be corrected by simple pair of glasses which will no doubt accelerate the journey towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and improve productivity staled by poor vision or loss of vision”.

Also, the Mandate Secretary  mentioned that FCTA has aligned with this year’s theme which “provides a unique opportunity to elevate eye health as a critical economic, social and development issue with activities aimed at promoting eye health, educating the populace on the importance of regular eye examination, advocating for affordable, accessible and inclusive eye health services for everyone as well as encouraging private sector partnership to invest in eye infrastructure and also integrate eye care into primary health care”.

Furthermore, Fasawe called for more collaborations that will improve eye health which is very crucial for overall well-being in this part of the world because statistics have shown that “90% of the world’s visually impaired people live in developing countries and collaborations are required to ensure improved eye health, economic development and sustainability which will hereby contribute to healthy lives, promote well-being and ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities” she said.

Likewise, the Acting Director FCT Public Health Department Dr. Dan Gadzama in his remarks stated that commemorating and flagging off of World Sight Day in FCT reteirates FCTA’s commitment to reduce complications of eye diseases and avoidable blindness, stating the important functions of the eye which represents 80% of bodily function as well as ” raise awareness and sensitize the public on the importance of eye check-ups in the hospital for early diagnosis and treatment that can reverse loss of vision and reduce prevalence of preventable eye diseases”.

In line with the 2025 theme, Gadzama noted that the theme affords everyone, both in the public and private sectors, the opportunity to save the eyes of Nigerians and improve their quality of life, which will sustain much-needed economic growth and development according to the present administration’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Additionally, in her remark, the program manager, Eye Care Unit, Dr Ehiemere Goodluck, explained that the program is also part of activities to align with the global community to encourage people to check their eyes to prevent avoidable blindness routinely.

She noted that screening and distribution of glasses will continue in all area councils.

In his goodwill message, the Assistant Registrar Optometrist and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeria (ODORBN), Dr. Igbo Okafor said anything optometric is geared towards stopping and ending blindness and World Sight Day is commemorated globally to serve as a reminder that eye health is important to overall well-being and appreciated FCTA and collaborating partners for ensuring that people get screened and have free glasses.

Equally, the representative of CHAI, Kenechukwu Nwafor, who spoke at the event, said CHAI is proud to collaborate with FCTA to dispense 50,000 glasses for free within the capital territory because sight is important for learning and productivity, and the theme calls for access to eye care essentials to be made accessible and affordable for all without any discrimination.

In the same vein, the Chairman of the Nigeria Optometrist Association (NOA), Dr Ngozi Chinedu, stated that the association is also collaborating with FCTA to screen people’s eyes as a way of contributing to ending visual impairment and urged people to “see an eye doctor while you can see and don’t wait until you are visually impaired”.

Abuja Digest reports that during the flag-off, over 500 residents were screened and provided further eye care services.

The World Sight Day, marked annually on October 9, serves as a critical annual event to promote eye health initiatives, highlight the impact of vision loss on well-being and productivity and advocate for policy changes and the necessary resources to combat preventable blindness and vision impairment.