One in four patients seen at the Eye Institute of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital has glaucoma, a Professor of Ophthalmology, Bola Adekoya, has revealed.
The Head, Ophthalmology Department, LASUTH, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos to commemorate World Glaucoma Week.
NAN reports that the week is celebrated globally from March 10 to 16 with the 2024 theme, ‘Uniting for a Glaucoma-Free World’, and is aimed at bringing communities worldwide to fight glaucoma.
Glaucoma is caused when pressure builds up inside the eye, damaging the optic nerve that connects the eye to the brain.
This can cause irreversible blindness if it is not timely treated.
The glaucoma specialist noted that the condition is the second leading cause of blindness in Nigeria with a prevalence of 16.7 per cent, second to cataracts.
