NAN-HG-7
Lenses
By Mercy Osajiugo
Minna, Dec. 20, 2016 (NAN) An Ophthalmologist, Dr Isah Jibril, has advised the public against patronising quacks for reading glasses to avoid harming their eyesight.
Jibril, who is also the Medical Director, General Hospital, Minna, Niger, gave the advice when he was speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Tuesday.
He said that a lot of people were ignorant of the services available in the public hospitals and as a result, they were patronising the services of quacks.
According to Jubril, when it comes to dispensing of optical lenses, there are reasons for professionals to prescribe lenses for a patient’s sight need.
“There are reasons for us to prescribe lenses, there are some eye problems that are due to uncorrected refractive errors and such are best treated after full diagnosis by prescription of lenses.
“While some are not due to uncorrected reflective errors but as a result of age, this category of people range from 35 years and above,” he said.
He said that such category of people found it difficult to read small prints, access their contacts on phonebook or read newspapers.
Jibril, however, explained that the syndrome was not a disease but an ageing process that affected the natural lenses of the eye balls.
”We call it presbyopia; they are due to aging factors and can be corrected by the use of reading glasses.
“A patient ocular status ought to be ascertained by an ophthalmologist before a recommendation for glasses.
“There are refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia while it can be the mixture of the two or astigmatism,” he said.
Jubril said that out of ignorance, many people were seeking for quick services of the quacks hawking glasses in wheelbarrows and open markets making the business to thrive across the country.
He likened such attitude of people buying glasses from quacks to someone wearing oversized or undersized shoes, saying that for one to enjoy a pair of shoe, it must be the person’s perfect size.
” Ocular test is to know the ocular status of the patient which has to do with examining the entire eyeball and vision of the patient,” he said.
Jubril explained that the examination was to enable the ophthalmologists detect problems like glaucoma, cataract and others early enough and nip them in the bud.
He noted that some persons either because of poverty or ignorance preferred to gamble with their eyesight by wearing unrecommended glasses for N300 or N400 as the case may be.
He then called on the general public to carry out a routine eye check once a year in an eye centre where a total check on the eye would be carried out.
Jubril also called on people with systemic problem such as glaucoma, diabetes mellitus, hypertension to have their eyes checked every six months by an eye expert. (NAN)
MNO/EAL/MO
Edited by Ekemini Ladejobi/Morayo Omolade