Experts provide succour to visually impaired pupils in Taraba
Jethro Yerga, Jalingo
The Nigeria Optometrist Association NOA, Taraba State Chapter, has embarked on an aggressive approach to assist visually impaired pupils in elementary schools across Taraba State.
As part of the development, the association has embarked on free vision screening and presentation of free spectacles to deserving pupils to enhance their visual capabilities.
Speaking at the flag off ceremony of the free visual screening program which formed part of the association’s week-long serries of activities commemorating the 2024 Word Sight Day, the chairperson of the Association in Taraba State, Dr Mrs. Grace Ahams-Akor, explained that the association aimed at not just identifying children who have uncorrected eye refraction error, but also, ensuring that deserving pupils were given the right glasses and prescriptions.
Dr Grace identified uncorrected refraction error as one of the most common eyes challenges affecting children all over the world and disclosed that NOA, was making frantic efforts to engage Taraba State Ministry of Health, relevant stakeholders and agencies to accelerate the visual screening exercise and to ensure that even schools in hard-to-reach areas of the state were also captured in the program.
Stressing the importance of clear vision, specifically among children, Dr Grace noted that a child’s vision determines his self esteem, his confidence and the way he relate with people.
She urged parents to cultivate the spirit of yearly evaluation of their children’s eyes, maintaining that a pair of spectacles was the simplest and easiest health intervention that could be given to a child.
“We have earlier gone to various schools within the state capital as part of activities marking the 2024 World Sight day with the theme: Love your eyes, vision for children, to sensitize children on certain hazards they need to avoid to protect their eyes. There are lots of childhood injuries that results to damaging condition of the eyes that can lead to blindness which the children need to know.
“Meanwhile, with the support of our national body, we have here with us enough glasses and we intend to go to various schools in the state to carry out this exercise. When a child fail the visual activity test, we subject the child to further examination and the result tells us weather the child deserves to be given glasses or be recommended for further treatment”. The doctor explained.
In his speech, the commissioner, Taraba State Ministry of Health, Dr Bordiya G. Buma appreciated NOA for keying into the health service agenda of Governor Agbu Kefas’ led administration and pledged that the state government would continue to support the association to succeed.
The Commissioner who was represented by the Director, Public Health in the Ministry, urged parents and children to take advantage of the opportunity provided them by NOA and to always go on regular eye check to keep their eyes healthy at all times.
In a goodwill message at the occasion, the General Manager, Taraba State Television Corporation TTV, Jonah S. Pantuvo, lauded the exercise and pledged that the media in the state, particularly his station would assist the association in encouraging and sensitizing the general public on the various ways they would care for their eyes.
