As part of efforts to reduce visual impairment and blindness amongst students in Lagos State, the State Government has launched the Secondary School Eye Health Programme.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi said the programme was one of the strategies of the State Government through its Blindness Prevention Initiative, to reduce the burden of childhood blindness in Lagos State.
Prof. A bayomi who made this known at the lunch of the program at Oregun Junior High School, Ikeja, explained that the Secondary School Eye Health Programme has four main components.
According to the Commissioner, the components include: training of teachers on vision screening across both the state secondary schools and the junior secondary schools; installation of vision screening board in all the state secondary schools; equipping of all secondary schools with vision screening kits, management and referrals of students with eye conditions by the Blindness Preventive Team.
Prof. Abayomi enjoined teachers to also use the opportunity to examine their eyes stressing that the program is for students, teachers and school staff alike.
Earlier in his remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Abayomi Abolaji laud the collaboration between the Lagos State Ministries of Health and Education which resulted in the birthing of the expanded School Eye Health Programme – the Secondary School Eye Health Program.
He added that the program will help alleviate the sufferings of students with visual impairments and ultimately improve the academic performance of secondary school pupils in the State.
The high point of the event was the presentation of eye glasses to students, vision screening kits to trained secondary schools teachers and unveiling of the vision corridor at the Oregun Junior High school.
