Some residents of Bwari in Bwari Area Council of the FCT Fridayhave benefited from the federal government’s free eyeglasses initiative on Friday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
NAN reports that the initiative, spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of Health with support from partners, including the area councils, aims to tackle presbyopia in adults aged 40 and above in the community.
Dr. Ehiemere Goodluck, Program Manager of the Eye Care Unit at the FCT Public Health Department, told NAN that the initiative is a continuation of President Bola Tinubu’s distribution of five million pairs of glasses to Nigerians.
The initiative, tagged “Effective Spectacle Coverage in Nigeria-Jiji Bola Phase II,” screens adults for presbyopia, the inability of the eye to focus on nearby objects due to aging.
“Once they are checked, we will give them reading spectacles according to the power of their eyes,” Goodluck said. NAN
She added that the program, which was launched in the FCT in Abaji in March, underscores the government’s commitment to improving eye health and ensuring that Nigerians take proper care of their vision. Goodluck stated that the program was successfully carried out in Abaji and AMAC and is now ongoing in Bwari and will be implemented across all six area councils of the FCT.
She said, “We have covered Bwari town, Dutse-makaranta, and Dutse-Alhaji, and we will move to the Mpape community soon.”
Goodluck urged all residents who meet the criteria to participate in the screening and take advantage of the free glasses being provided.
HajiyaSaadatu Mustapha, a beneficiary, praised the initiative. (NAN)
