An Optometrist, Dr Emwanta Egbe on Thursday called on persons above 40 years to always seek regular eye checks, to avoid sudden eye diseases and blindness.
Egbe, who works with University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Gwagwalada, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) to commemorate the World Sight Day.
The day is an International day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October. This year, World Sight Day falls on Oct. 13.
“The importance of checking your eyes cannot be overemphasized, it’s advised that person’s less that 40 years should go for regular check up once in two years.
” If there are any problems before the time, he or she should see the eye doctor. Persons above 40 years should go for regular check ups every year,” Egbe urged.
He said, ”good vision contributes to improved athletic ability, better driving skills, improved learning, comprehension and better quality of life.”
Egbe, however, said drivers should ensure that they go for regular check ups, saying, ”they should go for glaucoma screening, which is the major cause of loss of vision for adults, driving without good vision is the major cause of accidents in the country.”
He said that some of the causes of blindness were cataract, glaucoma, uncorrected refractive errors as well diabetes retinopathy.
Egbe said: ”Among the causes of blindness, glaucoma was an irreversible cause of blindness. There was need for regular eye check up.
“The best way to take care of your eyes is to always go for a yearly eye checkup.
” Take a lot of fruits and ensure that green vegetables are part of your meals.
“For those always working with computers and phones, they should ensure that they get a pair of glasses that can protect their eyes from harmful rays of light from computers and phones.”
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
