Justin Tyopuusu, Jalingo 


An Ophthalmologist, Dr. Gideon Avar on Monday said Cataract and Glaucoma were the leading causes of blindness in Nigeria and the world.


Avar who is the Medical Director of Nobis Eye Centre Jalingo disclosed this at the official commissioning of Nobis VIP Eye Clinic along Yola road in Jalingo.


According to him out of the 3000 benchmark of eye surgeries conducted in his private hospital every, Cataract account for more than 2000 and Glaucoma slightly above 1000.


"There is growing statistics of eye blindness in Nigeria and the northeast in particular with Cataract and Glaucoma as leading causes.


"The good news is that Cataract is curable, unlike glaucoma, that if it's not dictated early can not be remedied.


"Our centre which is known for excellent service delivery at an affordable price is designed to address this challenge.


"Taraba is backward in terms of healthcare delivery especially in eyecare. Our intervention is to close the gap and stop people from traveling long distances to Lagos and Abuja to access eyecare service," he said.


The Ophthalmologist noted that his centre was partnering ECWA eye centre in Kano and other super centres in Nigeria and India to get specialists who will be visiting them to handle some specialised cases.


This is even as he called on the people of Taraba and it's environs to take advantage of the world glaucoma week which starts today to check their eyes to fight glaucoma and Cataract.


Dr. Edet Nkantah, Taraba State Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), commended the efforts of Nobis eye centre in complementing government efforts in healthcare delivery.


Nkantah noted that Nobis remain the best in Taraba in terms of equipment and eyecare service delivery, adding that the VIP Eye Clinic will improve the tourism potential of the State.


Our correspondent reports that the VIP Eye Clinic was commissioned by Rev. Linus Obi, the District Overseer of Redeemed People's Mission Jalingo.