Nigeria’s health authority says it aims to achieve better eye care through the integration of primary eye care into the primary health care system.
This will enable government to reach out to the vulnerable groups in remote areas of the country as it partners with drivers to ensure a reduction in road crashes.
Reports estimate that twenty percent of all traffic accidents are due to drivers with diminished vigilance level which highlights the importance of good vision in the prevention of road traffic crashes.
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Good eye health has a ripple effect in improving education, economy and health outcomes.
Currently more than two billion people have a visual impairment and nearly half of this visual impairment could have been prevented or avoided.
Road traffic crashes have risen recently particularly in low and middle income countries.
In Nigeria, it is one of the leading causes of overall deaths and the most common cause of trauma related deaths and disability.
This is why this year, the ministries of health and transportation are collaborating to raise the awareness on the need for good eye sight as a catalyst for safer roads.
National President, Female Drivers Association, Eunice Odieghi said without urgent and sustainable efforts, the number of people who are blind could reach about one hundred and fifteen million globally by the year 2050.
