jamal 
BY ARIJELOLA OJO FEMI
The Ophthalmology Department of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) joined its counterparts around the world to celebrate the 2023 World Glaucoma Week, from Sunday, 12th to 17th of March, 2023. The theme for the year’s celebration is tagged “The World is Bright, Save Your Sight’’.
Consultant Ophthalmologist/Glaucoma Specialist and Head of Ophthalmology Department, Prof. Bola Adekoya and some members of the Department began the commemoration of the Glaucoma Week by paying a courtesy visit to the hospital management.
While briefing members of the management of the Department’s activities for the week, she shared briefly that Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness which is irreversible. She explained that the dire situation Ophthalmologists are faced with is that, majority of people with this disease are completely unaware.
She revealed part of the activities for the week to include, awareness walk, health talk, free screening for LASUTH staff, collaboration with the Lagos State, Ministry of Health, for extensive screening programs.
Speaking on the disease, Prof. Adekoya gave an estimate of about 80% of people who live in the developing countries battling this disease have no knowledge of the disease at all. She said, most of the cases screened and detected are usually at an advanced stage.
“This is the reason the ‘World Glaucoma Association’ has set aside an entire week to intensify awareness that will sensitize people all over the world, so that more people can become aware, more people can come forward for early screening and early detection can be given for effective treatment”, she said. She also highlighted the major ways of treating Glaucoma as, medical treatment, the use of eye drops or tablets, and surgery.
She referred to the theme for year, ‘’The World Is Bright, Save Your Sight’’, as a call to take the care for the eyes seriously because “our sight is needed for day to day activities, this means that the eye is one of the most important part of the body”, says Prof. Adekoya.
She concluded that, the Ophthalmology Department is always ready to work in tandem with the hospital management in various ways that would improve the overall progression and service delivery of the hospital at large.
The Chief Medical Director, Prof. Adetokunbo. O. Fabamwo, welcomed and congratulated the Ophthalmology Department on the celebration of Glaucoma Week.
He said, the Glaucoma Week is a very important one and as such needs to be celebrated. He said, “most problems linked to the disease in the developing world arise from ignorance, poverty and illiteracy – lack of education make people suffer grave consequences from preventable disease.” He opined a three pronged approach to addressing the disease, which are, constant community education, awareness and screening.
The CMD went ahead to commend the entire Department for the role they played during the free medical outreach and free cataract surgeries carried for the Ojokoro Community which held in February and March, consequently.
The Director Clinical Services and Training, Prof. Adebowale Adekoya, commended the CMD for the efforts in the Department, in terms of man power, equipment in accordance to the hospital’s desire of becoming a quaternary hospital. He congratulated the Department and encouraged them to look further in the area of intervention for Glaucoma disease.
