The President of Nigerian Optometric Association (NOA), Dr Damian Echendu, has raised fears that several Nigerians will suffer from blindness by 2020 if adequate measures are not put in place to stop the drift.
Dr. Echendu made this revelation on Tuesday, in Abuja, at an event to herald its 39th Annual General Meeting and scientific conference scheduled to commence on Thursday.
The NOA’s president disclosed that about one million Nigerians above 40 years are currently blind, according to a recent survey carried out by the Federal Ministry of Health.
His word, “From a study carried out, it showed that about one million people are blind in Nigeria. And these are avoidable cases. Those mostly affected are above 40 years of age. 
“By 2020, if actions are not taken to prevent those avoidable causes of blindness, which currently stands at 45, the number might double and will be 90 million.
“These cases of blindness are more prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Poverty, lack of basic amenities and insensitivity of government to those that should take care of the people are among the main causes of blindness in sub-Saharan Africa.”
