By Chioma Obinna

The Nigerian Optometric Students Association, NOSA, has taken youth eye health advocacy to the highest levels of government, rallying policymakers, professionals and students in a three-day engagement that culminated in a landmark visual screening for internally displaced persons in Abuja.

The high-powered advocacy drive began with a courtesy visit to the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, followed by the Youth Eye Health Summit themed: “Seeing the Future: Advancing Eye Health for Youth Development in Nigeria,” and ended with a humanitarian outreach at the Durumi Internally Displaced Persons Camp.

Speaking, the NOSA President, Nicholas Oke steered discussions on integrating eye health into youth-focused programmes of the ministry.

Responding, the minister, lauded NOSA and the Global Optometry Student Community, OPTOGLOBE, for recognising his efforts with awards and for convening a summit focused on youth vision care.

“Eye health is fundamental to youth development. A young person who cannot see clearly cannot learn optimally, compete effectively, or realise their full potential. We must integrate vision care into our youth programmes and national development strategies.”

At the Summit which brought together optometry professionals, policymakers and student leaders to chart a new course for youth eye care in Nigeria, the Board Member for Africa at Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity, Professor Tuwani Rasengane in his keynote address, called for urgent, coordinated action across Africa to curb preventable vision loss among young people.

“We cannot continue to treat preventable blindness as an afterthought. Governments, institutions and communities must act decisively. Collaboration is no longer optional; it is imperative,” he declared.

On the burden of myopia among Nigerian youth, Dr. Obinwanne Chukwuemeka Jr warned that cases are rising steadily due to lifestyle and environmental factors.

“Early detection and proper management are critical. If we fail to intervene now, we risk a generation struggling with avoidable visual impairment,” he cautioned.

Highlighting policy direction, Dr. Oteri Okolo underscored the need to integrate vision screening into primary healthcare and school health services. “Nigeria’s National Eye Health Policy provides a framework, but implementation must be strengthened at the grassroots level,” she said.

Also, Dr. Obinna Ebirim, Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister disclosed that eye health programmes would now be incorporated into the Ministry’s Eye Health initiative.

“This inclusion ensures that youth eye health will receive structured attention within our broader preventive health agenda,” Ebirim said.

President-Elect of the African Council of Optometry, Dr. Ozy Okonokhua, advocated compulsory vision screening before school admission. “Parents should submit eye test reports alongside birth certificates. Vision screening must become a prerequisite for school entry to safeguard children’s learning outcomes,” he said.

The Registrar/CEO of the Optometrists and Dispensing Opticians Registration Board of Nigeri, Dr. Awiaka further announced collaboration with Optometry Giving Sight to strengthen training infrastructure for optometry schools, revealing that a pilot equipment-support programme had been concluded at Arthur Jarvis University in Cross River State.

Speaking at the advocacy drive which ended with a visual screening outreach at the Durumi Internally Displaced Persons Camp, the camp secretary, Mallam Bala said it was the first eye-focused screening at the facility since 2014. “For over a decade, no team has come specifically for eye care. This intervention is timely and deeply appreciated,” Bala said.

Residents received comprehensive vision checks, eye health education and referrals for corrective services.At the close of the programme, participants agreed on several actionable strategies, including nationwide school-based vision screening, affordable corrective services for low-income youth, teacher and community health worker training, public awareness campaigns, structured mentorship for optometry students, and the creation of a national task force to coordinate child and youth eye health initiatives.

They also proposed integrating age-disaggregated eye health data into Nigeria’s national health information system to improve planning and resource allocation.
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