A major gap in eye health care is emerging in Jigawa State, as experts warn that millions of residents are at risk of avoidable blindness due to a critical shortage of specialist eye doctors.
Speaking at a media engagement, the Acting Chairman of the Jigawa State Eye Health Committee, Dr Usman Muhammad, revealed that only four ophthalmologists are currently serving a population of over eight million people in the state.
He said this falls far below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation, which requires at least four ophthalmologists and ten optometrists for every one million people.
Dr Muhammad added that the situation is worsened by the absence of a single glaucoma specialist in Jigawa State, despite glaucoma being one of the leading causes of blindness.
Like many parts of Nigeria, specialist eye care services in Jigawa remain limited and are largely concentrated in major towns and tertiary health facilities.
As a result, many rural and hard-to-reach communities rely mainly on periodic outreach programmes, rather than regular, day-to-day eye care services.
The challenge is not limited to Jigawa alone. Nationwide, experts say Nigeria is facing a serious shortage of eye care professionals.
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Only about 4.4 per cent of Nigerians currently access eye care services, while more than 4.25 million people are blind or visually impaired, mostly from preventable or treatable conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma and uncorrected refractive errors.
To address the gaps in Jigawa, the Inclusive Eye Health Project says it is stepping up advocacy and capacity building.
The organisation has trained journalists to promote sustained attention to eye health, while also training 540 primary eye care providers across the 27 local government areas, supported by 90 community health ambassadors.
The group says cataract remains one of the most common eye health challenges in the state and insists that expanding access to early diagnosis and treatment will save sight and reduce poverty.
While Nigeria is making efforts to strengthen its eye health system, access remains low, and manpower is overstretched, especially in rural areas.
Jigawa State has recorded progress through screenings, free surgeries and inclusive programmes, but experts warn that without urgent investment in specialist doctors, millions could remain at risk of avoidable blindness.
