Lagos, August 3, 2016 – Over 180 people including the aged and children were on Wednesday screened of Cataract by the Rotary Club of Omole Golden. Of the figure, 32, were confirmed with Cataract during the exercise which was held at the Ifako-Ijaiye Primary Health Centre in Lagos.
The screening programme, which the club is organising in partnership with the Rotary Club of Lagos-Palmgrove, under the theme: Mission for Vision, she said, would be capped with a surgery operation on all those confirmed with Cataract. This will take place in September.
The Head of Medical and Health Department of the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, Dr Oladapo Asiyanbi said the local government is proud to be associated with the club which has been partnering with it in bringing free and affordable healthcare to the downtrodden in the local government.
He said the cataract treatment is aimed at preventing blindness in as many as may be confirmed with cataract. He said a surgical procedure for the removal of cataract would cost N250,000 per patient, outside the cost of drugs and other consumables.
“This club over the years have proved to be a very useful partner to our local government in the area of making health for all a reality. Each patient on whom a surgery is carried out would have been saved the sum of N250, 000 and in this depressed economy you can imagine what they are shouldering for the poor and indigent. That’s why the Sole Administrator of the Local Government Mr Babatunde BIQ Raj-Label is most willingness to continue to work with them”.
A member of the medical partner Ancilla Catholic Hospital and Eye Centre Dr Abiola Bamgbose said though cataract which is the accumulation of protein in the eye is usually associated with aging, there are other predisposing factors among which are smoking, diabetes and hypertension. He urged all those diagnosed of these two conditions to continue to use their drugs to prevent the degeneration and complications that could lead to cataract.
The Monitoring/Evaluation Officer for Helping Hands Initiative for Women and Children, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr Adedeji Yaqub Arisekola said the cataract screening would go down as another initiative of the Rotary Club of Omole Golden that is targeted at the poor and the indigent in the community.
Chairman of the Project Service Committee of the club Rotarian Lekan Akinduro described the cataract screening as another service to humanity, which according to him, is the creed of the Rotary International. He said the screening is the first leg of an exercise that will culminate in free surgical operation for all those confirmed to have cataract.
Some of the beneficiaries Revd Maxwell Ituen who was confirmed with cataract said he hoped he would be able to sing halleluia when the surgery is finally conducted on him.
Ituen who lives in Fagba and has been living with the defect since 1986 praised the club for the initiative even as he prayed that the members will continue to meet with divine favours.
A banker with a second generation commercial bank Mr Kayode Shodiya,who lives at Ahmaddiya area of Ijaiye in Ojokoro LCDA, Lagos, said he would be the happiest person, if his cataract is eventually removed.
Shodiya who said he learnt of the exercise from a friend said he started experiencing itching of the left eye six years ago, and had gone to so many hospitals and he has been told he would need an operation. He praised the club for bringing him hope in the midst of hopelessness.
Madam Oyelami, who puts her age at about 86 years and who had had two cataract operations carried out on her praised the club for giving her yet another hope to make her see sgain. She said despite her two earlier operations she lost the use of her eyes about three years ago.
