An Ophthalmologist, Dr. Nkiru Akaliwe, has advised Nigerians above 40 years to do regular eye check up to ascertain the true status of their eyes.
Akaliwe, a consultant at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
She called on Nigerians to maintain a healthy living by eating more vegetables and fruits so as to prevent visual impairment.
According to her, the eye is very important in human body. Blindness can be treated while some cannot.
The consultant, however, explained that many people in the developing countries were losing their sight to cataracts which could be easily treated.
She noted that glaucoma, which was another type of eye disease, gradually caused blindness without the patient knowing.
Akaliwe said that 285 million people globally have eye problems and from the figure, 39 million from developing countries like Nigeria, were blind.
She advised people with eye problems to avoid buying medicated glasses without the prescription of an Ophthalmologists, saying, “it is dangerous to use medicated glasses not recommended by an expert’’.
(NAN)
