By Mumini Abdulkareem
A consultant ophthalmologist with the Civil Service Hospital, Ilorin, Dr Olanipekun Lawal has advised parents against the phobia for medicated eyeglasses for their wards and children.
Lawal said this during the second edition of the Milestone Academy Free Eye Screening and Treatment as part of the school community outreach service.
The programme was in conjunction with the Kwara State Civil Service Hospital held at the school premises, Fate, on Thursday.
According to the consultant, parents should be encouraged to come forward to screen their children to be able to detect early refraction and the prescription of the appropriate glasses to correct it.
“It is good to encourage and bring the children forth for check up and also detect refraction. When it is discovered that they need glasses, we will be able to know the type to prescribe to make them see and performed better in their educational performance”.
He said refractions like myopia, which could be hereditary may also be due to the children’s developmental milestone or growth, adding that some have their eyeballs growing faster than their head among other cases.
While some refraction may correct itself shortly with the use of glasses early, others cases may occur for life, he added.
Speaking with Pilot Health on the sidelines of the event, the Proprietress of Milestone Academy, Hajia Ni’imah Shehu said the essence of the programme is to benefit the community in line the Hadith (traditions) of the Prophet (SAW) that the best of you is he that benefits others.
She said the theme of this year’s event is “Bright Eyes, Brilliant Performance” and “we decided to focus on the eyes because of the connection with the sight and learning.
According to her, since it is community based, “we felt we should not focus on the pupils alone but members of the community as well adding that over 150 benefited from the programme.
One of the beneficiaries, Ustadh Muhammadu Mukhtar Muhammadu Thani, commended the school for the imitative and advised other schools to emulate the Milestone concept to benefit their various communities.
